A Tale of Two Worlds
by The Immortal Hope
Summary: In the centuries to come the meeting of Carolina Petrova and Niklaus Mikaelson will be regarded as a catalyst to either the most incredible or horrifying sequence of events that will ever befall this earth, but as the adage goes... the truth is always somewhere in the middle. Re-write of the village from Our town with a few additions
1. Prologue

Prologues

Monsters are not born, they are made.

This is the story about the creation of the monsters that haunt your nightmares. The true beginnings of the creatures that star in your campfire stories and keep your children awake at night. Because every legend you have heard is true. Every monster you are afraid of is real.

But they weren't always monsters.

In fact they used to be the farthest thing from it. They used to be just like you and me. And that is where our story begins, back before curses and rituals and sacrifice, back before every story that you have ever heard about these monsters. Consider it an origin of the species if you will.

And it starts in a very small village with two very different girls…

From the time they were very young the first snow of the year stirred different feelings in the hearts of the two Princesses of the village of the first men.

The 2 daughters of Jonathan the conqueror, the man who in his youth sailed their people to this new land for protection from the diseases of the old world and Elizabeth the just who brokered peace between her native villagers and the new settlers of this land, finding love with each other as they did. The couple was happily married, uniting the old and new world together and bearing 2 children. 2 daughters who could not look or be more different from each other.

First born was Elena- vastly considered to be the most beautiful woman in the village- or if you asked one of her many suitors- the world. Elena is the perfect princess; compassionate and loving but still independent minded. Able to follow rules and do as she is told but not weak. Elena saw the snow as a harbinger of hard times each year when it fell, a symbol that harvesting was over, plentiful food was a thing of the past, and warm summer sheaths needed to be stocked away to make room for thick fur coats. It meant long nights, short days and the absence of bright red little flowers that she loved to braid into her thick, dark hair. She loves those flowers, and though she pretends to blush and a part of her hates the attention, she also loves it when one of the young men in the village smiles shyly and hands one of those flowers to her. Those same men who always think they need to protect her, who treat her like she is as delicate as one of those flowers. But she is not. She is Elena Petrova, strength and Justice are her legacy, sealed with the marriage of her parents and solidified with her birth. The first true creation of the old and new world.

Second born was Carolina Petrova, known to the village only as Caroline, which has always seemed to suit the young princess better. It seemed stronger, more sure, more, well… Caroline. The younger princess is every bit as beautiful as her older sister, but somehow incapable of staying in one place long enough for a suitor to take notice, which is just fine by her. Caroline learned at a very young age that it was useless to try and compete with Elena in anything, least of all men. Fortunately, she also learned that both her parents and the entire village seemed to care far less about her, which she quickly managed to work to her advantage. Caroline was wild and free and full of life, she snuck out of the small palace meant to keep her in at every chance she got. She pushed the bounds of the village and the woods surrounding it farther every day. To her winter was a symbol of freedom, of fresh powder that could fall instantly and cover her tracks behind her, of animals changing colors and making the hunt that much more satisfying, of stupid predators- man or beast- trying to take advantage of the cold and the snow to hide their tracks and attack her or her village, and of all of them- every, single one, falling with dead eyes under her spear. Carolina Petrova is capable of protecting herself, and she knows it because no man would ever get near enough to her to try and protect her. She would not allow it.

The two sisters could not be more different, rulers of the Summer and the Winter. One constantly looking up to the sun, the other down to cover her tracks, born only a year apart but complete opposites. Despite these differences, the two girls have always been close. They both love and fight each other in the all-consuming way that only sisters truly can.

This story is not only about these sisters, however. There is an entire village of men and women- young and old who were born on these lands or came here seeking refuge. The strong and handsome Salvatore brothers, as different from each other as the sisters themselves, brought to the new world in Damon's infancy and while Stefan was still growing in his mother's womb. Both brothers deeply in love with princess Elena and the younger the closest friend that Caroline has ever had. The witch Sheila and her granddaughter Bonnie, one of the oldest families in this new world and the most advanced practitioners of the magic that many old families practice within the village, the younger one a dear friend to both princesses.

Then there is the new family. They have been here nearly a decade, but anyone who did not come on the ships that Jonathan lead or was not born upon this soil is considered to be new. Esther and Mikael came to this new world and fit themselves- along with the many children they had or would have into the village quite well. Esther is a dear friend of Sheila, nearly as practiced in the magic of the village as Sheila herself. They did fit well into the village, but few could miss Mikael's outbursts at his sons when they fought.

At the outset of our tale, the younger princess has not met this new-er family, given that she uses the village as more of a through point between the palace and the woods, not stopping to chat along the way.

In truth this story begins the way that many others do, it begins when a boy meets a girl.

In the many centuries that come to follow the creation of this village there is a single event that will change and define our world forever. The meeting of Carolina Petrova and Niklaus Mikaelson will be regarded as a catalyst to either the most incredible or horrifying sequence of events that shall ever befall this earth, depending upon whose version of the story you believe.

Personally, I advocate that the truth is always somewhere in the middle…


	2. Chapter 1

Just as a heads up, this story is primarily Klaroline, Stelena/Delena (but mostly Stelena) does have a strong supporting role but main couple is klaroline just so you all know! Also Kennett... because I'm trash and I honestly still love that idea.

XXX

Chapter 1

Elena walks through the village with a smile, her light pink gown billows around her ankles as she moves, running her hands over the flowers blooming near the base of the trees. She fits her back against the soft bark and slides down to sit among the flowers, breathing deeply to enjoy her stolen moment of freedom. She was not expected to be home for a little while longer and could afford to soak up the last few rays of summer. She looks up at the sky and sighs, feeling the chill in the air biting gently against the exposed skin of her chest and arms. In her distraction she did not notice footsteps approaching.

"Flower for your thoughts?" a charming voice interrupts her silence, but the princess does not mind. Elena smiles, looking to the man in front of her.

"Stefan, come, join me" she says and the man lowers himself to sit next to her, leaving an adorably appropriate few inches between their bodies.

"Thank you" Elena demures, accepting the flower.

Stefan looks at her expectantly "my lady, I believe we had a deal and it is now your turn to pay up" he teases.

She laughs, looking back to the sky "I was just thinking how much I am going to miss the summer."

Stefan smiles "well if it makes you unhappy for the weather to change then I will simply have to schedule a conversation with mother nature and sell my very soul for endless summers"

Elena laughs, "I know that you would if you could, Stefan, but you would never succeed"

"I am hurt that you doubt my bargaining skills," he says, holding a hand to his heart as though he is actually in pain

"I would never dare good sir" she assures him overdramatically "I only meant, that with how much Caroline loves the winter all of your efforts would surely be in vain"

"Now that- is very true" he says with a nod "gods help the man who tries to take away something that Carolina Petrova loves"

"Oh, speaking of father" she laugh before turning serious "I really should be getting home" Elena says with a sad look. She is never able to steal enough moments with Stefan. She always has to be somewhere- usually home to answer to her overprotective parents.

"May I walk you back?" he inquires, offering his arm "I should hate to be responsible for something befalling you"

Elena rolls her eyes "because the walk across the village is so full of perils" she jokes, accepting his arm "watch out, I may just trip over a barrel of ale or fall onto a loaf of bread!"

"Or worse" Stefan says, brows drawing together in mock seriousness "you could be late for your mother's birthday celebration!" he says

"Well then you had better move faster" the princess laughs, taking off at a run, dragging the poor smitten boy behind her.

XXX

Caroline draws the hood of her cloak more tightly around herself, covering the few strands of hair that threaten to escape it as she walks briskly past a group of men fighting in the village square. With all eyes on the potential violence she slips easily through the busiest part of town and knocks on the heavy wood door of the Salvatore home/business, praying that it is Stefan who answers.

She is sorely disappointed when the door swings open to reveal dark hair and piercing blue eyes

"Ugh, is your brother never home anymore?" she asks with an eye roll

"Good to see you as well PRINCESS" he says, raising his voice on the word, causing her to panic. She looks around to make sure no one heard him and then smacks him hard on the chest.

"Not funny Damon. Now let me in!" she says, practically pushing him out of the doorway to enter the small wood dwelling

"To answer your question, I think you may be here more often than my brother is since he started talking to _Elena_ " he says, a fact he is clearly not happy about on several levels

Caroline lowers her hood, choosing to respond only to the part of his implied complaint that concerns her "oh please, I am your best customer" she says, tossing a leather bag full of metal spearheads at him "you would both probably starve without me".

Damon scoffs "not likely". He is right of course, Stefan and Damon's parents were among the first to land in the new world, along with her own, but when lingering illness took their mother, their father could no longer bear to live in this new place and gave himself over to the wolves. The brothers, being orphaned quickly learned a skill- a valuable one, blacksmithing. Any man- or woman- worth his hunted fur pelts had his weapon crafted by the Salvatore brothers. In fact, Stefan had given Caroline her first spear shortly after they became fast childhood friends, and she had always gotten her weapons from him. Except he was never home anymore, forcing her to deal with Damon.

"Could you hurry this up? I have somewhere to be" she smiles sardonically

Damon rolls his eyes "quality takes time" he says, fishing through the bag for any metal that might be reusable "besides, no one has missed you for the last seventeen years, I doubt they will start now"

"Ass" Caroline says, knowing how unbefitting such language is of a princess, but like most rules, she does not really care.

Damon grins, slipping out the back door to the anvil in his work shed "at least I am easy on the eyes" he calls out.

Caroline rolls her eyes, sitting down on the fur rug while she waits.

XXX

When Caroline arrives the feast is already on its second course. The entire village appears to have shown up to celebrate her mother's birthday, but she is late because of the world's slowest blacksmith- well, and because she had to sneak back home to change into something more "appropriate". She weighed her odds and decided being scolded for being late was far preferable to being accused of humiliating the family by arriving in breeches.

She seamlessly enters the festivities during the arrival of a slew of spit-roasted rabbit that her father no doubt hunted that morning in the west woods- the ones where hunting is actually permitted. She sits easily among the rest of her family without a soul noticing her arrival- or earlier absence. One of the perks of Elena's general existence. She does catch her mother's quick glare though.

The night commences as is to be expected; people eat, her father gives a drawn out speech about her mother and bringing world's together and blah blah blah, a bunch of regurgitated stories that she has heard since she was born. Caroline gets through it with the knowledge that she has a fresh bag of sharp spearheads waiting for her in her room.

"Mother is going to kill you" Elena whispers from beside her, the smile never dropping from her face. The smile never drops from her face at these events. She knows all eyes are on her.

Caroline grins a little "I have made it through worse in the past"

"Would it not be easier to simply arrive on time?"

Caroline rolls her eyes "I tried to be on time!" she defends "blame your second Salvatore for being the worlds slowest blacksmith"

Elena shakes her head, having long ago realized there is no use in trying to talk Caroline out of her hunting "well I suppose if you had to deal with Damon then you have already been punished enough". The girls look at each other and break out in a fit of laughter, one that is loud enough to turn their father's head towards them in displeasure.

Upon hearing this he stands, calling for silence to give the last words of the evening "now that the fire has been lit and the food is running low, I believe my daughters are growing restless" he laughs boisterously, causing the girls to shrink in embarrassment but he smiles " and truthfully, I think we are all growing a little restless so please, stand, dance by the fire, have your fill of ale- this is a celebration!" he raises his thick metal cup and the village erupts in cheers and people begin to stand. Talented young men and women bang against large drums and shake bangles and the village comes alive by fire light.

The two sisters smile at each other and just as they stand up Stefan manages to appear in front of them. Caroline moves quickly to hug her friend before pulling back and hitting him on the shoulder "how dare you leave me to deal with Damon this afternoon!"

He laughs, looking down at her "if you managed to break off 4 perfectly good spear heads in only a matter of days then I would say it is your own fault that you had to be served by Damon"

Caroline scoffs "you call that service"

"Well I am certain you will still be satisfied with the product" he assures her genially

"So not the point, where were you? I feel like you are never home anymore!"

Her sister smiles shyly from her side "I am afraid that would be my fault, I do appear to be taking up more than my fair share of Stefan's time"

Stefan turns his gaze to her "whatever share of my time you desire to take is freely yours, my lady"

"The two of you are just so perfect in every way I might lose the rabbit I ate if I continue to stand between you. Please, go dance- spread the perfection" Caroline says dramatically with a good natured smile "but, remember how big I am being right now and maybe show up to say hi to your very _best_ friend since childhood if you manage to get the time" she says, looking pointedly at Stefan.

He has the good sense to lower his head and wear a guilty expression "of course Care, I am sorry I just.."

"I get it Stef" she smiles, raising her hand to his shoulder as she passes by, leaning in so only he can hear her "she is perfect, and I love you both so very much. I would love to have you as a brother some day, but please keep in mind that if you hurt my sister- my innocent, lovely, sweet as cane syrup sister- you will find out how _exactly_ I managed to break so many spear heads so quickly" Caroline pulls back from her threat with a bright smile, kissing her sister on the cheek before disappearing into the crowd.

Stefan recovers from the harsh words quickly and fixes the woman in front of him with a smile, extending his hand "shall we?" Elena accepts his hand happily.

XXX

"First you arrive late and now you sneak out before the dancing has even begun?" Elizabeth calls out to the retreating form of her youngest daughter

Caroline freezes, her shoulders slumping as she turns around "I am sorry mother. Really I am. I- I hope you have had a wonderful birthday celebration, but you know this is just not my thing," she says, looking down and picking at the fabric of her dress

"I swear Carolina, sometimes it feels as though you do not even try" her mother says, her anger flushed by the use of the girl's full name

"I did try mother, I tried for years, but there is not point. Nobody sees me when she is there. Nobody cares or notices that I come late and leave early."

"I notice" her mother says sadly, moving closer towards her "I worry about you dear, your father and I will not live forever, we cannot protect you forever and you refuse to entertain any of the young men in the village, events like these are more for your sister and you than for us"

"Mother you do not have to worry, I can take care of myself. I am not like Elena, you do not need to protect me or find a man to protect me. I am perfectly capable of-"

"Enough Caroline. You have been allowed to run around this village like a child and spit in the face of our rules for too long now. Enough is enough. It is time for you to grow up,"

"but mother I-"

"I said _Enough_ Caroline. I am done having the same fight with you every single day. Tomorrow morning you will join the family to break fast and then you _will_ spend the entire day with Elena and I as we make our calls into the village. You _will_ dress appropriately and you _will_ have more than a 30 second conversation with a man who is not Stefan or Damon Salvatore!"

"What is wrong with Stefan and Damon?" Caroline asks incredulously "okay I take that back, I know what is wrong with Damon, but-"

"They are both in love with your sister! That is what is wrong with them, it is time to start talking to suitors of your own"

Caroline rolls her eyes, turning viciously on her heal and storming away she yells over her shoulder "news flash mom, every man in the village is in love with Elena, and I could not care less!"

XXX

Caroline's only mission after that moment is to make it home in time to change back into her hunting clothes and spend her apparent last night of freedom deep, deep in the eastern wood. The woods no one is supposed to go into because of the wolves. But Caroline has been hunting there since she was fourteen and has only seen a wolf once. Turns out they cannot climb trees. She is not stupid enough to go out during the full moon. She knows what that means, but she also knows that when it is not a full moon the warnings are pointless. And tonight is not a full moon.

She changes quickly and fixes a new head to her spear, hiding it in the hooded cloak that is pulled around her body and climbs carefully out the window.

Caroline feels a deep chill that she did not before, the fire at the village square staved it off, but this is not a summer night. She turns her head to the sky and smiles from ear to ear as a few lazy flakes of snow fall from the sky onto her cheeks.

The snow starts coming down faster once she enters the woods and she smiles, knowing no one will be able to find her tonight. At least she is getting a few hours of freedom.

Caroline spends longer than she would care to admit just sitting on a large boulder under the cover of trees, crying. Not because she is jealous of her sister, not because she wants what her sister has, but because she just can never get it right. Everything she wants to do is wrong and everything she does not want to think about is all the world wants her to focus on. She never asked for this, she never asked to be a princess or to be born in this tiny village where everyone is in love with her sister. Caroline resolved herself to being alone years ago and the thought of even that choice being taken away from her feels like too much to handle.

So she does not handle it. She dries her eyes, feels the soft powder beneath her feet, wraps a hand around her spear and walks carefully and silently into the night, searching for a predator to hunt. It is not long before she closes in on a noisy fox, watching as it hunts a small rabbit she poises herself, aims, and then- _CRACK._

Caroline whips her head around to where the sound of a branch breaking has alarmed the fox, she is terrified that it could be a wolf, but her eyes find only the dark figure of a human male wrapped in a cloak "ah, seriously?" she calls into the night, staring in the direction of the shadow that broke the branch, cursing the man who did it for adding to her less than stellar day "you scared it away!"

The figure goes deathly still, and a hood turns to look at her "who is there?"

Caroline sighs, grabbing her spear and turning to face the figure, realizing that he may be an actual threat and not just an idiotic village boy. Caroline is extremely proud of her reflexes, which is why she is not surprised when the man lunges for her and she is seconds ahead of him, moving quickly out of the way.

The stranger is a quick thinker, however and manages to grab her spear even as her body moves away from his. He pulls her body closer to his, knowing she will refuse to let go of her weapon. Once he manages to drag her closer he grabs her upper arm "I asked you a question" he growls, shaking her just hard enough that the fur hood falls from her head and a halo of unruly blonde curls spill out, but that is not what catches his attention, his eyes zero in immediately on the thin metal band of precious gold that wraps around her forehead beneath those curls. The golden color is nearly disguised in her sunshine colored locks and while it is decidedly less ostentatious than the thick, intricately woven crown that is always nestled on the head of her raven-haired sister, it is still entirely un-missable symbol of who she is.

"Princess" he stutters, falling back slightly, loosening his grip on her arm.

Caroline takes the opportunity to rip her arm away from him, effectively freeing herself from his grip "oh spare me that princess crap you jerk. If you would manhandle a woman like that I cannot imagine her parentage matters"

He smirks, growing more and more impressed by this little warrior princess by the minute, after all any person- man or woman- who can be stealthy enough to be hunting the same prey as him and have him not notice is a force to be reckoned with, "forgive me princess, I- I suppose I am shocked to see you out here in the dead of night wielding a bloody spear"

The girl rolls her eyes "ok, first- you know my name so can we stop with this 'princess' thing? Really not working for me. Second, frankly I am offended by your shock and I am firmly of the opinion that such antiquated opinions about the role of men and women should have died in the old world"

He laughs, nodding his head "you would get along well with my sister, Caroline"

She smiles slightly despite herself, glad that he is at least using her name "may I inquire as to why you are in the woods so late at night, son of Mikael?"

The stranger raises an eyebrow and Caroline realizes that her vision has adjusted enough that she can make out the strong features of his face- bright blue eyes staring at her through the darkness, full lips forming an O in shock- he is handsome. That is undeniable. But he also attacked her so she remains wary and unimpressed.

"How did you-"

"You are not the only one capable of putting two and two together, my headpiece gave me away as your accent did you. Only one family has come to this village from the old world in the past decade, the Mikaelson's. I know not which son of Esther and Mikael you are, but my family makes it our business to keep a special eye on new comers"

"Most of your people have been here and living so intimately together long enough that their accents have melded together, so many different afflictions of speech run through this village, how do you even know the true accent of the old world"

Caroline looks up at the Mikaelson stranger, her bright eyes boring into his, cutting through him "apparently you know my name but not my legacy. I am the blood of the covenant that binds the old and new world together. My infancy was in a time before accents had come together, my father spoke in the purest accent you could ever hear. My tongue learned to form words around the accent that you speak now and I shall never forget it as long as I live"

"My name is Niklaus, 3rd living son of Esther and Mikael"

"and what are you doing in the forbidden woods after nightfall, Niklaus, 3rd living son of Esther and Mikael?" she inquires

"I could ask the same thing of you, sweetheart" he says with a smirk

Caroline looks to her spear and then to the sword around his belt and the strong of rabbits hanging from it. She smiles "perhaps no more words need be exchanged" she nods her head with a wiry grin "what is a secret between two hunters at midnight?" she says, turning swiftly on her foot and retreating into the night before he can respond.

Niklaus watches the brave princess' retreating figure and shakes his head, grinning in some bizarre sense of admiration "until we meet again"

XXX

After being entirely sure footed all night- unlike the man who scared away that fox- Caroline is too much in her head and miscalculates as she steps back through the window of the bedroom she shares with her sister, feeling a wooden doll fall beneath her foot, creating an audible thud against the white oak floor and she braces herself, freezing as she waits for Elena to awake. When nothing happens she sighs in relief, easing her way into the room, removing only her cloak before slipping fully clothed into bed.

"It is not the first time I have heard you sneak in near dawn, sister. And I am sure it shall not be the last"

Caroline grins despite herself. She usually manages to at least pretend she feels a shred of guilt for breaking their parents rules, but tonight she cannot. "Nor is it the last time you shall be right sister"

Elena turns her head to face Caroline, giving her both a smile and a disapproving nod

"Did you steal my pillows again" Caroline laughs, noticing how flat her head is against the mattress.

Elena grins, chucking a single pillow back at her sister "yup, and you deserved it again".

Before Mystic Falls was a town it was a village. Re-write of the village from "our town" where it wasn't just the original family who came over from the old world all those centuries ago…


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Caroline wakes up to the hard hit of a very soft object and she sputters a bit before shooting up in her bed, taking a moment to re-orient herself before glaring across the room at her cheerfully smiling sister "I am sorry, did you just hit me with my own pillow that you stole?" she scoffs

"I'm helping you" Elena says with wide, innocent teasing eyes "if mother finds you asleep through breakfast she will hit you with something much harder than a pillow"

Caroline rolls her eyes, hugging the offending object to her chest "well I would throw it back for revenge but I am afraid you would just keep it"

Elena sticks out her tongue and makes a ridiculous face, causing them both to laugh. Caroline loves this version of her sister. The fun version, the girl that she is when they aren't with their parents. Both sisters stand and Caroline stretches out her arms, causing Elena to gasp

"what?!" Caroline says in shock

"what did you do to your arm!" she says, pointing to the inner part of Caroline's upper bicep.

Caroline looks down, following her sister's horrified gaze to a large, purple bruise that is curling all the way around her arm "ugh that jerk" she mutter under her breath "I didn't do anything" she says a little louder "some idiot in the forest last night manhandled me because he cannot see far enough in front of him to not break a branch" she rolls her eyes

Elena shakes her head "you are very lucky that snow decided to fall last night and you can get away with a long sleeved gown without raising suspicion"

"Just another reason to love the winter" she smiles, reaching into the bottom drawer of the thick wooden chest they share and grabbing out a long black woolen gown

"Not today" Elena grins, plucking the black garment from Caroline's hands

"Ah hey, I was going to wear that"

"Not today you aren't. Damon overheard mother and you last night. Just humour her for today. Wear my light blue one, it brings out your eyes, she'll like that"

Caroline huffs, not liking the idea of purposefully trying to stick out as she walks through the village but knowing her sister is right. She pulls the sky blue cotton gown out of the drawer and moves aside to change as Elena pulls out a deep purple one of her own "and at what point last night were you speaking to Damon?" she asks disapprovingly

Elena sighs, stopping mid undress to frown at her sister "after Stefan walked me home. He- he waited at the back entrance" she says, sounding guilty.

Caroline nods her head but chooses not to respond. She doesn't need to respond. She has had this fight to many times with her sister already.

"I love Stefan Caroline, you know that I do"

"I know"

"It's just…. There's something about Damon, he's always so willing to see me no matter what. I can never get enough time with Stefan and he refuses to break even a single rule and Damon, Damon will wait for hours hiding by the back door just to speak for a few moments-"

"You don't break rules, Elena" Caroline says in a snarky tone "you do not want the brother who breaks rules so" she sighs "I don't know, stop breaking rules. I'm better at it anyway" she smirks, looking over her shoulder

"You're right" she says, shaking her head "of course you're right. I… I know that you are very, very right" she says, fixing her dress "ok, no more late night conversations with Damon"

"No more conversations with Damon period"

XXX

"Good morning girls" Elizabeth greets as her daughters enter the dining room "Caroline you look lovely" she says, happy to see her daughter making an effort but also feeling a twinge of guilt that she looks so different. Her hair is braided delicately down her back instead of in its usual unruly curls and the light blue gown she is wearing fits her just snug enough for her mother to realize it was made for Elena. She never wanted to change Caroline but… she wants her to be happy.

Caroline gives a tight smile as they all sit down to eat

"Where is father?" Elena inquires

"Gone hunting for the day," Elizabeth answers easily

"Must be nice" Caroline mutters under her breath

Elizabeth clears her throat "well, if everyone is ready, perhaps it is time to head into the village"

"What exactly do you guys do every morning when you 'go into the village'?" Caroline asks in a surly voice

Elizabeth sighs and Elena jumps in to answer before a fight can break out "we talk to our friends, check in on everyone, make sure everyone is all right, field any complaints that they may have. We see to the welfare of the people" she smiles

"Ok" Caroline nods "then let's go… give out some welfare or, whatever" she says, standing abruptly.

XXX

By about the third house Caroline can genuinely feel her hand curling into a fist, grabbing for an imaginary spear to try and throw through the eye of one of these cocky, annoying, _stupid_ boys her mother keeps throwing at her.

"Oh look, there's Bonnie's house, let's go check in on her and Sheila" Caroline smiles, pulling on her sisters arm

"We will get to the Bennett's when we get to them. There are 5 homes between us and them, honestly Caroline" Elizabeth says with a nod of her head

"You guys honestly do this every day, like every single day you walk around and just talk to people for not apparent reason"

"There is reason" Elena says "I have told you the reasons, you just do not always care to listen"

"I should have made you do this years ago, you do not know half of the villagers names, and it is a disgrace"

"I know who I need to know"

"Well I say you need to know everyone. Now, put a smile on and muster up a few kind words, this is an important house" her mother says, raising her hand to knock on the door of the wooden structure that Caroline can see now does appear to be larger than most of the others.

"Elizabeth, I was wondering where you were, bit of a late start this morning?" a brunette woman that Caroline instantly recognizes says in a condescending tone

"Not at all Carol, in fact we started earlier than normal, but Caroline decided to join us and well you know how one extra voice can extend a conversation" she lies through her teeth. Caroline had barely said a word all morning.

"Ah yes, lovely to see you princess, I can imagine the village feels as though they are witnessing a ghost" she jokes and Caroline smiles tightly, clearly not amused. "Well come in, get out of that dreadful snow. Besides, my son will be home soon"

"Oh what lucky timing" Caroline says sarcastically, earning an elbow to the ribs from her sister

"the Lockwoods are a very important family. You know how Richard aided father. They are friends, act like it"

"Sorry, I will try- but if mother tries to shove another mindless brute at me I cannot be held responsible for my actions"

"Oh Tyler is the biggest brute you will ever meet. Just smile and get through it"

"So Caroline, what is it you do all day and night while the villagers forget we have a second princess?" Carol asks bluntly, still wearing a tight-lipped smile

"Carol" Elizabeth says in a warning tone

"Is there a problem?" Carol asks with a feigned look of innocence "if you expect me to agree to this engagement then I think that I at least deserve to know what it is this shadow princess spends her days doing"

"I'm sorry, _engagement_?" Caroline balks, nearly choking on the tea that Elena had only just placed in her hand

"Yes, engagement" her mother says, "it was your father's idea."

"And was anybody planning on telling me about this?" she says angrily "I mean seriously, you drag me to every house in this damn village when you already decided who I was going to marry"

"Well you certainly were not making the decision" Carol breaks in "and it is rude to interrupt dear. I was asking you a question, please answer". Before Caroline can reply the sound of a door interrupts them all "well never mind, I suppose it is not all that important what you used to do. Only what you will do. Tyler" she calls out "come, join us for a cup of tea"

Caroline's eyes move up to see a strong boy standing in the door frame "Good morning Elizabeth, Elena" he nods respectfully, moving into the room he stands a few feet away and holds out a hand "I do not believe we have met, princess Carolina"

Despite her frustration Caroline cannot help but admit that the young man is attractive with his thick dark hair, warm brown eyes, and bulky, muscular frame. Strong. Part of her cannot help but think he must not be as good of a hunter as he thinks he is purely because of his size. There were places should could get that he could not, step on ice that he could not. She realizes that these are not necessarily normal thoughts when one first meets their husband, and besides, Tyler Lockwood does not need to hunt in order to provide. "I do not believe we have" she says, placing her hand into his "but then, as your mother was just informing us all- I have met so few people" he smiles a little and Caroline is unsure if he is mocking her in his head or they are having a conciliatory moment about his overbearing mother.

XXX

Caroline and Elena stand outside of the Lockwood home as her mother speaks to Carol "Don't worry sister, you know how father is, every day her has some new plan for one of us, I promise you will not have to marry that dolt"

"I don't know" Caroline says slowly "he was not… all bad, I suppose"

Elena widens her eyes "wait, you… you _liked_ him?"

"I- I don't know" Caroline says defensively "I mean I barely know him, but I didn't hate him. He was… strong"

"Yeah, all brawn no brain" she laughs

"Well, he is the first man I met today who did not actually make me want to lose my breakfast, so as far as I'm concerned, he's a prince"

Elena smiles sadly, wanting to say something to help, wanting to fix this, wanting her sister to be happy but not knowing what to do.

"I am sorry Caroline" her mother says as she exits the room "I intended to tell you at breakfast but my thoughts were… elsewhere"

Caroline glares at her but ultimately sighs "it's fine. Can I go home now though? I think that is about all of the excitement I can handle for one day. Besides, I think your _purpose_ has been fulfilled"

Her mother sighs "I really would like you to join us for the rest of our morning"

"And I really would like to be informed before I am sold off to a random boy I have never met, but we don't always get what we want"

Elizabeth sighs, yet again, fighting back the urge to tell her daughter that if she had bothered to join them every other morning or taken any interest in people then she would know this boy and every other boy and they would have taken interest in her because she is every bit as beautiful as her sister, but then she would just be relaying words Caroline had heard for years. It had not helped then and it will not help now. Instead she nods her head and says "just one more house. That one" her mother says, pointing across the square to a home that is fashioned out of maple bark and not white oak, a clear sign that it is the newest one.

Caroline rolls her eyes, because _of course._ Instead of replying she just brushes past her mother and sister and stalks directly up to the annoying maple door and bangs her fist against it.

Elena follows after her in a rush to stop her, but she is much, much slower.

"No one is in there, love but by all means keep banging away. There might be a bird over there you haven't scared away" an annoyingly charming voice sounds from behind her

"Well you would know about scaring animals off" she practically sings, turning to look at the man from last night, his arms overflowing with fire wood. He just smirks in response and she leans back, crossing her arms over her chest "you bruised my arm by the way, _jerk_ " she accuses pointedly

"Did I?" he asks with a cock of his head "strange, considering I have never met you before in my life."

Caroline narrows her eyes, about to respond when her sister's voice sounds from behind her "Nikalus, good morning. Please forgive my sister for the noise on your door, I am afraid mother and I have put her in a bit of a mood" she laughs charmingly, smiling that hundred watt Elena smile that always makes men melt

Klaus doesn't take his eyes off Caroline then entire time Elena is speaking, briefly his eyes flick to her when she has finished and he just shrugs "really? I never would have guessed. I am finding her to be simply lovely" he says, his words and voice completely genuine to Elena's ear, but he smirks at Caroline as soon as he finishes, eliciting another glare from her.

"Well of course you are. She is a lovely girl," Elizabeth says joining them "Are Rebekah and your mother not home?"

"No ma'am" he responds with a respectful nod "they are with Sheila, _practicing_ " Elizabeth nods, smiling. It is no secret to the village the communing that many village women do with nature. It is a highly respected practice and thought to be the reason for the years of successful harvest.

"Of course, well we will leave you to finish your work, I am sure your father and brothers are waiting somewhere for your return"

He nods "Usually"

"Have a good day" Elena smiles and Klaus nods in response, waiting until Elizabeth and Elena turn around to trip over a rock on the ground and run into Caroline, knocking a few logs into her arms, which of course shoot up incredibly quickly to catch them before they fall to the ground.

"My apologies princess, I really must get better control of my feet"

Caroline looks at him, confused for a moment before he leans his head towards her family in implication and she catches on, gripping the logs tighter

"Mother, Elena why don't you continue on, I can help Niklaus with his wood and then head home" she says with a smile, causing the man in front of her to choke back a laugh at her choice of wording. She waits until her mother and sister have already turned their backs before kicking him in the shin

"A bruise for a bruise, I suppose" he grins

"Oh, so now you admit it? I thought you 'had never met you before in my life'" she says, mocking his accent

"Oh I apologize, why don't I go find your mother and relay to her the whole story of our meeting in the eastern woods at midnight" he shifts the logs in his arms and opens the door, waiting for her to enter before he does

"Ah yes my mother, why did we run into me with wood and send her away?" she inquires

Klaus manages to bite his tongue on that one, though if this girl doesn't stop talking about his wood he may not be able to control himself very well. "I wanted to have a moment alone"

"why?"

"I enjoy you," he says with a smile that is so damn infectious it should be illegal.

"wha-I-you barely know me" she stutters, tucking a piece of hair that came loose from her braid back behind her ear

He smiles lazily, fixing his gaze on her "Well, I know that you are beautiful and strong, you clearly aren't much for rules, and-" he watches her set the wood down and before she can even stand he grabs the long fire poker from beside the pile and throws it at her, watching her straighten quickly, catch the stick and point it back at him in an instant "that is your first reflex when something is thrown at you instead of throwing your hands up or jumping behind the nearest man, all of those are things I enjoy. So, I enjoy you" he says with a shrug, as though it is the most obvious, simple thing in the world.

Caroline lets out a laugh "wow, big day." She says ironically to herself "well sorry, hate to break it to you but you are about 24 hours too late. Thanks for the interest though" she says dismissively

"How can I be too late when I did not even know you 24 hours ago?" he asks in confusion

"Well I believe 24 hours ago is when my father decided I was going to marry Tyler Lockwood" she says looking down

"My sincerest apologies" he responds with an unreadable expression

Caroline smiles a little "well if that is everything, I should really be getting home. Have a good day, NIklaus"

"Please, call me Klaus" he says, and she notices that his cocky smirk has returned

"Well, have a good day, Klaus"

"You as well" he nods, watching as she turns to leave, waiting until she has opened the door to call after you "see you tonight, princess"

Caroline turns back to look at him, raising an eyebrow "no, you won't" she says, mouth forming into a sly grin "but I will probably see you"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Elena can feel herself start to shiver; the thin long sleeved gown was enough to keep her warm when the sun was up but now, standing by her back steps watching the last rays of sun disappear beyond the horizon she can feel a chill start to set in. She feels someone coming up behind her and then a pair of strong, warm arms wrap tightly around her. Elena smiles for a moment, inhaling the scent of fire and metal, a scent they both share. It is comforting to her, in the midst of all their differences; both brothers share the same undeniably unique scent. She contemplates the notion of fire and metal for a moment, letting herself become lost in his arms.

It was the perfect metaphor for the Salvatore brother's really. Damon was fire, burning bright and hot and fast, flickering in and out of her world, always hot and cold. When he was being kind it was like coming home to a warm hearth on a cold winter's night, all encompassing and feeling as though it was the only thing in the world breathing life back into her cold joints. But he was also fickle like a fire, and he could blow out, leaving her to sit on a freezing cold floor; the kind of cold that you feel deep inside your bones and do not forget any time soon.

Then there is Stefan, being with him is like entering an impenetrable room made of metal in the middle of a storm. He is safe and strong and sturdy. He is dependable; he loves in the kind of unbreakable way that makes her feel invincible. Stefan is a fortress that no fickle gust of wind could destroy. She never had to build him, never had to wait for him. He was just there. Always has been, always will be. He would never burn her.

So what does she want? Fire or metal? She sighs, knowing exactly what she wants. When one is standing in the middle of a storm and they are offered shelter from the biting cold or a fire to sit in front of until the wind blows it out there really isn't much of a choice. But, is it so wrong to want a fire inside of the shelter?

 _Yes._ She hears Caroline's voice in her head and she knows that her sister is right.

"We can't do this anymore, Damon," she says, feeling the body pressed against hers stiffen, but he does not say anything "I can't keep spending the day with your brother and then waiting here for you by nightfall

"Then see me by day and night" he breathes into her hair

"I have let this get out of hand" she says quietly "when we first started talking I loved having a friend so much that I ignored the feelings that began to grow between us."

Damon pulls back, breaking away from her as she turns to face him "we were never friends, Elena. I have been in love with you since the day I met you and don't you dare stand here and pretend you don't feel the same"

"I-I'm not. I mean I do. I do love you Damon, I just-"

"You love him more," he says, eyes going cold. Fire turning to ice. She just nods silently, not sure what to say or how to say it. What can possibly be said to make this better.

"Please Damon" she tries "I need you to understand. I love you, I love you so much and I can't imagine not having you in my life. I hope we can still be-"

"Friends?" he laughs, "oh no, no that's not how this works Elena. You don't get to have us both. You have to choose, and it looks like you have so fine" he nods curtly "as I said before, we were never friends. I see no reason to start now" he begins to leave but she catches his hand

"Wait, please can't we-"

Damon rips his hand away from hers "You should go inside. It is late, _princess_ " he spits the formality in her face and walk away, leaving her standing in the snow with frozen tears falling down her cheeks. The kind of cold you do not forget any time soon.

XXX

Niklaus sits silently in a mid height branch of an ancient oak tree, hanging his legs over the edge, watching the ground carefully, no sword or game bag attached to his belt to weigh him down as he has no need of them. Tonight, he is hunting for an entirely different kind of prey.

He holds a small knife in his hands (he may not need a sword but he is not dumb enough to go into the woods completely unarmed) and is whittling a delicate shape into a chunk of bark he pulled from the tree. As he turns his knife over he hears something shuffle above him and an unshelled nut falls into his lap. He grins, shelling it and popping it into his mouth "thank you little squirrel" he mutters to himself

"You're welcome," a voice sings above him and he nearly falls off his branch, but manages to grip the branch with his upper thighs and swings himself up onto his feet, knife tight in his hand. A noise sounds beside him and he whips around, knife pointed out in front of him

Caroline clicks her tongue at him "you know, if you are going to keep trying to stab me every time we meet I may have to reconsider this friendship"

"Well perhaps if you would stop appearing out of thin air and terrifying me I would stop pointing weapons at you"

Caroline laughs "touché" she says nodding "but I just couldn't help myself, I mean there you were, barely off the ground and swinging your legs like you were going to surprise me. It was adorable, I climbed right past you almost 10 minuets ago and you didn't even notice" she grins, starting to lower herself onto the branch below them.

"You are much smaller and lighter than me, that is an unfair advantage," he points out, following her as she climbs to the ground

"Men" she rolls her eyes "always so full of excuses"

Klaus raises his eyebrows, amused "you really need to meet my sister" he mutter before looking up with a mischievous smile "and are we friends already?" he asks

Caroline raises her eyebrows making a 'duh' face "we are two hunters in the woods at night carrying nothing but carving knives. We are either friends or mad men"

"Why not both?" he grins, holding his hand out to her, waiting for her to take it but she just looks at him warily "come on, take a chance, Caroline." He pauses, watching her bite her lip, seeing she is just on the edge of agreeing "I dare you"

Caroline pushes her lips together, fighting a smile "fine" she says, placing her hand in his. He catches her eyes for only a second, smiling as he begins to run deep into the woods, practically dragging her behind him until she can catch her feet and speed up

"Where are we going?!" she yells at him on a laugh, wind flying through her hair as the deftly jumps out of the way of trees and rocks

Klaus turns to face her for only a split second, smiling as her lifts the index finger of the hand not holding hers up to his lips to silence her

Caroline shakes her head, whipping her hair around her face, thinking how much she hated having it all tied back earlier today.

She loses herself in her thoughts for a few moments, making her distracted when Klaus stops abruptly, she speeds past him, pulling his arm as she does, causing both of them to topple with force into the dirt covered ground

"ow, sorry" Caroline laughs, pulling herself into a seated position as she reaches a hand up to her forehead and sighs, realizing she managed to hit a small rock as she careened face first into the dirt and cut herself.

Klaus looks up, standing to brush the dirt from his pants as he reaches a hand out to help her "Perhaps I should be the one apologizing for continuously injuring a princess"

Caroline grabs his hand and he pulls her up "oh so now we are admitting that you bruised me yesterday" she crosses her arms over her chest

"I am sorry about that" he says, raising a hand to wipe the blood from her forehead "even if I didn't grab you that hard and you do appear to be quite prone to injury" he finishes on a smirk

"mmm, maybe that's it" Caroline says sarcastically "or maybe you're doing all of this on purpose" she says dramatically, gasping as she jokingly begins to accuse him "to try and scar me permanently so that Tyler won't want me anymore" she laughs, nudging his shoulder.

Klaus falls silent for a moment, an unimpressed look passing over his features as he uses his clean hand to tuck her loose hair behind her ear to clean the rest of the blood and then leaves his hand nestled in her hair, turning her head so they are looking directly at each other and speaks on a quiet, serious voice "if Tyler would no longer want you because of a scar, then he is the stupidest man that has ever been placed upon this earth"

Caroline breathes in and swallows hard, feeling a tingle fall across her body, causing her to squirm a bit in confusion about the strange feeling. "Um, so what were you going to show me?" she attempts to change the subject

He raises an eyebrow; slightly confused by her reaction, but he clears his throat and returns his mind to the previous task "you are a faster runner than I anticipated. Give it about five minuets"

"Give what five minuets?" she asked confused, but doesn't give him a chance to respond before launching into her next question "and why would you assume I'm a slow runner? We have already proved I'm a better climber and don't break sticks from walking clumsily, maybe you should give me some more credit than that?"

He nods, smiling "forgive me for hoping, incorrectly, that there may at least be one thing that I can best you at"

She grins, looking up at him "oh don't be so hard on yourself- you can certainly carry more logs"

He smirks, looking down at her, moving quickly he grabs around her waist and slide an arm under her legs, lifting her easily off the ground

"Ah, hey!" she yells

"Just proving a point" he shrugs, moving her body up and down in his arms as he does so

"Boy are you going to feel foolish if you put me back down and I turn around and do the exact same thing to you"

He smirks, putting her back down and holding his arms out "by all means"

"ugh, so not fair. You're bigger than I am, you have an advantage"

"And being lighter doesn't give you an advantage in walking lightly and climbing?"

"Well, I'm still faster than you"

"Look" he says, turning her to face the other direction, where the sun has just begun bursting into the skies in a shower of orange and pink.

"It's… breathtaking," she says smiling brightly

"You haven't seen anything yet" he says, moving forward through the last few trees that block their views and stepping out onto a large clearing that sits on a cliff overlooking a giant field below. He sits carefully on the edge and swings his legs over into the hundred feet of empty space between him and the ground.

Caroline moves forward very cautiously, sitting beside him and breathing in carefully, she looks out and smiles, the clear field below makes it look as though the sun is rising from beneath their feet, like it was rising into the sky with the sole purpose of bidding them good morning "how have I never been here?" she says, mostly to herself

"it's where they come on the full moon" he says, not having to elaborate for her to understand "the villagers cleared the entire area below when they first came here"

"This is why they only outlawed the eastern woods" she says

"Why your father outlawed them, the first people would just hide in their houses, it was your parents that outlawed the woods and created the underground rooms to keep people safe"  
"How do you know all of this? You weren't even born here"

"I have seen them" he says and she turns to looks at him with horrified eyes "I got stuck out here in a dark winter one night by an avalanche the night before a full moon and there was no way out before the next night so I moved into a tree to wait out the wolves. I overheard them speaking before and after" Caroline sits in silence for a few moments, contemplating the dangers of that situation as she looks at the rising sun "what are you thinking?" he asks

She shrugs "I suppose I was just thinking how surprised I am that your tree climbing skills were enough to save you after being stupid enough to come into the woods during a storm"

She expects him to laugh but he doesn't. He just stares forward, "the woods are where I escape. I wouldn't give up my hunting even if there was a tornado"

Caroline nods her head, able to sympathize with the feeling "I can almost understand, but dealing with your family is certainly better than dying"

At that he manages to laugh, "I think my relationship with my family is a little bit more complex than yours" she just nods, unsure what to say. Sure her family can be annoying, but they love her. She knows they love her, she doesn't know his family. Maybe it is worth it to him. Instead of words she silently reaches over and grabs his hand. He looks down and smiles ever so slightly before looking back up into her eyes "don't marry Tyler"

XXX

Bonnie Bennett is out much later than she should be, she knows her grams will not be happy when she returns, but as she walks back toward her home, moving behind the houses to remain undetected, the soft sounds of someone crying are unmistakable. She looks up to the sky, seeing the first rays of sun peeking from behind the trees and she sighs, if she is already this late what are a few more moments to ensure someone is ok. She picks a stick up from the ground and whispers "Incendia", using the light of the flame to guide her to the back steps of a very familiar house.

"Elena?" she asks on a sad voice, moving in to sit next to her, throwing the makeshift torch to the side and lifting her arm to wrap around her friend

Elena dries her eyes a little and turns to look at Bonnie "what on earth are you doing out here so late?"

"Um, I think it's best if I don't say. What matters is that I am here" she says "what happened?"

Elena laughs a little through her sadness "honestly probably best if I don't say either"

"We are quite the pair then aren't we" Bonnie replies, sitting by her friend, keeping her arm around her, hoping that whatever is wrong, she is helping just by being there. They sit in silence; each secretly hoping the other will start to speak.

Neither get the chance though because a noise to the left of the house makes them both tense. Bonnie leaps up from the step, holding her right hand in front of her "who is there?"

"Bonnie?" Caroline's confused voice fills the silence "what the hell are you doing here?" she asks, eyes darting to her sister sitting on the step "Elena are you ok?" she asks

"We are both out too late for reasons it is best we not tell each other" Bonnie breaks in "any chance you want to tell us why you are out so late?"

"We all know why she's out late" Elena says "god I wish I was as bold as you are Caroline"

"It has its perks," she says, moving with Bonnie to sit down beside Elena

"No, she isn't carrying her spear" Bonnie says with narrowed eyes "you weren't hunting. Where were you Care?"

Caroline smiles a little "if you two get secrets then so do I"

Elena laughs, "this must truly be scandalous if you won't tell us. I mean, you have told us some pretty bad things in the past"

"Well I am just happy that you two finally appear to be catching up to my level of _disobedience_ ," she says, wiggling her eyebrows and then they are all laughing.

XXX

"Out all night, what a scandal" an annoying voice sounds form behind Niklaus when he is only steps away from his family home and he turns around, an irritated expression on his face

"Hardly" he scoffs at his brother "when I am out all night at least we know what I'm doing, what about you brother? Who, I mean, what were you doing all night?"

"Oh no no no brother, you went hunting last night. You never go 2 nights in a row unless something has happened, and yesterday was completely uneventful, not to mention-"he lunges forward, moving quickly to unclip Klaus' cloak from around his neck and laughs "ha, knew it! No sword"

"Kol!" he growls, running a hand down his face in exhaustion "father will be awake soon, we both need to get inside"

"Father doesn't scare me" he shrugs with an annoyingly cocky smirk

"He should"

Kol shrugs yet again "tell me who you were with and we can go inside"

"Not gonna happen" he bristles, continuing to walk forward

His brother just smirks, following behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as they walk forward "shame on us brother" he says "letting a couple of women steal both of our swords"

Klaus growls, shrugging his brother's hand off of his shoulder and walking ahead of him, but as soon as Kol can't see him anymore his mouth pulls into an undeniable smile.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"Wait, I'm confused. Now you want my help getting out of the engagement? I thought you liked Tyler?" Elena asks in confusion as the girls sit up, both on Elena's bed, clutching pillows to their chests and gossiping away the last few moments before they have to be "awake"

"Ok I never said that I _liked_ him, I said that he seemed strong and didn't make me want to vomit. Not exactly a high bar" she scoffs

"Okay true, but still… it seemed like it was enough yesterday afternoon, so what has changed?" she asks, feeling as though she will never truly understand her sister

"I-nothing, honestly. It's not that anything has changed since then I think it's just that… I was different this afternoon of at least I felt different, mother made it sound like she was about to marry me off to a damn pig if I didn't pick a village boy and then we met all those horrible people and Tyler liked me and I don't know, in that moment it seemed like he wasn't the worst choice"

"So why does he seem like the worst choice now?"

"He doesn't. He- he isn't. He just isn't _my_ choice. I mean, my whole life I've rebelled against everyone else's choices for me and I think I just lost myself for a minute, I don't know why" she lies. Of course she knows why, she just can't say it. She lost herself because it was about her for 5 minuets, not because a boy's attention was on her but because her mother's was. She felt like she was the most important person in the room even though Elena was there And that is so shallow and childish that she wants to literally go back in time and smack herself. She didn't need to though, because spending time with _him_ reminded her who she was, reminded her that she does not settle and even if Klaus didn't want her it wouldn't matter because he reminded her who she is.

"Well I certainly won't be crying about losing Tyler Lockwood as a brother" Elena scoffs "though you will have an uphill battle with mother"

Caroline nods her head, "believe me, I know"

XXX

"You look tired" Rebekah smirks at her brother, coming up behind him at the table and running a hand teasingly over his shoulder before sitting next to him.

"I am never tired sister, just annoyed"

"Oh of course, big bad Nik, nothing can get to him not even sleep deprivation" she rolls her eyes, reaching forward to pop a berry in her mouth

"Well it certainly gets to me" Kol grins, pulling a chair out for himself

"Yes but you are out every night so it is not really anything new, is it?" she shoots back

Kol holds a hand to his heart and gasps "I am wounded that you would question my honor, Bekah"

"Oh I'm not questioning it" she says innocently "I am simply denying its existence"

Klaus laughs "well I think there was about 5 minuets of silence in this room before you lot woke up, that just might be a new record"

"Always so mysterious and broody" Kol smirks

"Where are Elijah and Finn?" Klaus asks curiously, looking around the room

"Oh they left with your father hours ago" Esther says calmly as she walks into the room

"What?!" Klaus and Kol both turn in horrified unison

"Your father wanted to fish so they had to wake very early to make the hike and still get there by dawn. Neither of you were in your beds so they went without you"

"He is going to kill me," Klaus says in genuine fear, his fist curling into a tight ball as Rebekah reaches a hand up to his shoulder in comfort

"He is not all bad Niklaus, his temper just gets away from him sometimes" his mother responds in a calm voice

"Why does it always appear as though his temper is released on me?"

"Oh and Elijah and Kol and Finn all feel exactly the same, he is an angry man who loses his temper and hurts those he loves. He does not mean it and it is our duty to forgive him. Now enough of this conversation. You will both go chop more wood, winter is coming and we want a good stockpile. It would probably be best if you were not home when the other men return" she says matter of factly "besides, Rebekah and I are late to meet Sheila"

"You are always meeting Sheila" Kol rolls his eyes but follows his brother as they both stand quickly, grabbing winter clothes before exiting the family home with haste.

"I hope your evening was worth a beating brother. Mine certainly was" Kol says cheekily as they grab axes and walk toward the western woods

Klaus smirks a bit "It was"

XXX

Elena raises her hand to knock on the door of the Salvatore family home but it opens before her fist hits the wood and an extremely unimpressed looking Damon is standing before her "Hi" she says on an unsure voice.

"Princess" he greets coldly

"How long are you going to do that for?" she asks with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest

"Until saying your name doesn't feel like stabbing myself in the heart" he mutters and she is clearly at a loss for words so he merely opens the door a little wider "It's freezing come in, Stefan is working out back I will send him in"

"Thank you" she says, moving to sit in front of the fireplace.

She hears the telltale opening and closing of the door, a few muffled words are exchanged and then the sound repeats followed by the shuffling of a coat being removed and steps coming towards her. She looks up and smiles as Stefan moves to sit beside her, wrapping an arm carefully around her.

"You are earlier than I was expecting" he smiles

"I could leave and come back later," she teases

"I will never comment on the time of your arrival again," he laughs

Elena shakes her head "Caroline refused to get out of bed this morning, apparently she has fallen ill, mother is staying home with her so house calls have been cancelled for the day" she says

"Should we stop by later? I remember last winter when I got sick Caroline brought soup and it was truly terrible but I appreciated the thought"

Elena smacks Stefan on the shoulder "I'll have you know I made that soup!"

Stefan widens his eyes a little and smirks "it is a good thing you have so many other excellent qualities"

"And a good thing that you are such a wonderful cook, or at least I presume you are based on the criticism"

He laughs "I think we may have to starve after we are married" he laughs and she joins in lightly, smile not quite reaching her eyes as she tensed up a little "I'm sorry if that was too soon, I did not intend to scare you"

Elena smiles up at him, wrapping a hand around one of his "of course you did not scare me, nothing would make me happier, it is just the… obligation that comes with me whenever I get married. I do not think I am ready"

"You don't give yourself enough credit" he says, "everyone loves you, you will be an amazing leader"

"But what does being well liked have to do with being a good leader? Everybody hates my father, but say what you will, Jonathan brought this village together and he provides for all of us better than anyone" Elena pauses her statement "actually, Caroline is a lot like him now that I think about it"

"Maybe don't tell your sister that everyone hates her" Damon's voice chimes from where he is standing in the kitchen, apparently eavesdropping "it may be true, but even I'm not a big enough jerk to go around saying it" he scoffs

"Watch your tongue Damon that is my sister!" Elena yells, indignant

"And my best friend" Stefan says more evenly, but still angry

The older Salvatore scoffs "of course, you can both trash the girl you claim to love behind her back but perish the thought of someone she despises saying anything to her face. You two are perfect for each other" he rolls his eyes, grabbing the coat he had originally come back in to get "have a great life running the village into starvation because you're too nice to kill a deer" the door slams hard behind him

"Don't listen to Damon, he's been in a sour mood all morning, I don't know what happened last night but he just needs to blow off some steam with the metal I think"

Elena nods sadly, purposely staying quiet about what had happened, she just turns back to the fire, smiles, and says "maybe we should make some soup, see if we can't improve on my last batch and do something nice for Caroline."

"Guilt soup" Stefan smiles, standing and offering him a hand

Elena shakes her head, accepts his hand and keeps her face blank "I have no guilt. I meant it as a compliment. Our parents worked so hard to prime me for the role and yet their negligence to Caroline's actions has actually made her an ideal leader".

XXX

"Are you feeling any better?" Elizabeth asks, entering her daughter's room for what felt like the hundredth time that day, looking down at her daughter who is somehow sweating even though she is wearing only a thin nightgown and the window is open letting icy cold air into the wooden home.

"Not really" she says with a sigh "you shouldn't get so close to me, I don't want the rest of the house to get sick"

Her mother shakes her head, setting a mug of lemon herb tea on the table as she sits down on the bed right beside her daughter "my dear, we both know you aren't contagious. I keep telling you how bad it is to stay out so late in the snow. Your father and I overlook your _activities_ but you need to be more careful"

Caroline looks up at her mother with wide eyes "you know?"

"Of course I know, Caroline" her mother says with a small smile "if I didn't know about it your father would have dragged you screaming out of those woods years ago. He can be a difficult man to reason with, but I know you need that time"

Caroline is so surprised she doesn't know what to say, she just looks up at her mother "I- I never knew that-"

"Caroline, I am not as oblivious as you may think." She says "it is what you need, what you love. Elena is allowed to do the things that she loves, I am just sorry that what you love must be kept a secret"

Caroline smiles a little "thank you" she says, almost crying as she embraces her mother

Elizabeth smiles, hugging her daughter back "This is why I am so happy you took to that engagement with Tyler. Now you can have something that is just yours"

Caroline pulls back a little "Did you set up an engagement because you think that I am jealous of Elena?"

"No, of course not." She says "not jealous, but your sister takes to people so easily and you have always been such a private person I thought you could use a push"

"I am beginning to think that I did not," she says, a little more cold than was intended

"Carolina Petrova, do not say what I think you are about to say"

"I do not want to marry Tyler"

Her mother stands and smoothes out her skirt "I am sorry Caroline, but you have already agreed to this. It is simply rude to take that back now"

"Already agreed? Rude? Mother this is a marriage not a trade deal, is it not important that all parties want to be married?"

"I am on your side Caroline. I love you so much. I am always on your side and I need you to trust me when I say that this is what is best for you. You will not find a better match"

"You don't know that" Caroline fires back, voice raised

"Neither do you!" the emotion in her mother's voice catches Caroline off guard "you have not even given him, or any man, a chance." She sighs "I am not saying you have to marry him right now, but please, for me- at least spend some time with Tyler"

Caroline swallows hard, wanting to tell her mother everything, to tell her she doesn't want to spend time with Tyler because she may have found a better match already, she may have found someone who understands her, and she finds it hard to believe that Tyler ever will. But her mother has given her such a gift for so many years that she just nods her head "ok, I will spend some time with him"

"Thank you, he will join us for dinner tomorrow night, I am going to run over to see Sheila and get something to make you feel better" she says all in one sentence, leaving the room before Caroline has a chance to protest.

XXX

When Elizabeth enters Sheila's home it is far from empty, Esther and Rebekah sit by the fire speaking over some herbs and Bonnie is standing near the wooden counter cutting fresh herbs while her grandmother answers the door

"Elizabeth" the older woman smiles "what can I do for you today?"

"Good morning ladies" she smiles and they all mutter polite greetings before returning to their work "Caroline has taken ill and I was hoping you had something a little faster working than herb tea to help"

"Is she ok?" Bonnie asks in concern, setting the knife down

"Oh yes, you know how she is, always running off into the snow with that thin little cape of hers, she has so many fine pelted jackets I cannot for the life of me figure out why she does not wear them"

"She feels restricted by the arms," Bonnie says a little sheepishly, as though she is not sure it's ok to say this "her birthday is coming up, you should have Ms. Donavan make her a fur lined cloak, I know she would use it"

"Thank you Bonnie, I will look into that. For now, can you ladies help?"

Sheila nods her head "of course. Now I know you asked for something stronger than herb tea, but you just aren't using the right herbs" she says, motioning for Bonnie to hand her a bit of the oregano leaf she is cutting "put a kettle on and go out back to pick out some vervain and echinacea, these mixed together should cure her quickly"

"What is the vervain used for?" Rebekah asks from her corner "I have never truly found a use for it, does it heal?"

"In a way" Sheila nods "the plant has heightened powers of immunity that are essential to keep ailment away even once cured" Rebekah nods and returns to chanting quietly hand in hand with her mother.

Elizabeth walks over to join them while Sheila and Bonnie busy themselves making tea "I have missed you ladies the last few days on my house calls, how have you been?" she asks, not accusing them, but definitely seeking answers

"Our apologies, we have both gotten very into our practice and tend to sneak away form home at the same time the men do in the morning" Esther says

Elizabeth nods "I understand, I am glad you have both found so much peace in nature"

Esther nods an acknowledgement and Sheila calls that the tea is ready "Elizabeth would you mind if I accompanied you home? I would like to see Caroline and ensure she is doing well"

"Of course Bonnie, I am sure she will be so glad to see you"

XXX

"And where were you this morning when we all left to provide for the family _boys_ " Mikael says sternly as he passes his axe wielding sons, a belt of fish decorating his, Elijah, Finn, and even Henrick's trousers

"We were unaware you would leave so early father" Klaus responds with his head bent low

"You are both so childish and selfish" he growls, shoving past them, knocking both of his deviant children to the ground as he does so, Kol's axe flying from his hand and nearly hitting Finn's knee cap "you clumsy fools, just wait you will be the death of this family yet"

Kol rolls his eyes and brushes the dirt from his shirt sleeves, mocking his father as Klaus' face grows dark

"He is right"

"No, he is worrying himself into an early grave that we will all gladly dance upon" Kol smirks, gathering his chopped wood in hand and heading back towards the house "I know you are afraid of father Nikalus, but if you don't come back to the house soon you'll miss dinner"

Klaus clears his throat "can you send Rebekah to help me with this wood"

"Rebekah? Our sister who hasn't done 30 seconds of manual labor since her birth?"

"Just send Rebekah ok Kol" he shouts, putting a hand to his temple.

After his brother has disappeared Klaus moves farther into the woods, knowing that Rebekah will know where his is. He moves quickly into the cave and smiles for the first time that day when he sees the nearly complete work on the cave's eastern wall.

For weeks he and Rebekah had been sneaking down here to work on a family tree, but mostly to speak in private. He hears a rustling of fabric behind him and turns immediately to embrace his sister "how bad is it?"

"I have seen him worse, besides you are sharing the blame with Kol now, I doubt any real issue will be made of it"

he nods, unsure what to say when Rebekah holds out her hand and he begrudgingly passes her the knife. As she sets to work on finishing her own name she asks "where were you that you missed them leaving anyway?"

"I was hunting" he says nonchalantly

"For a third day in a row? And without your sword?" she challenges

He lowers his head, having forgotten that he left his sword at the front entrance before leaving "I was… in the woods"

"Where you alone?"

"come on, let me have at it" he says, gesturing to the carving in an attempt to change the subject

"Quiet Niklaus, I need my concentration if I am not to slice off a finger" she teases

"Father will not like you handling a blade" he says darkly

Rebekah straightens her back and turns to face her brother "If I want to wield a blade I shall wield a blade. Father need not know"

"He will find out. He always finds out"

"That is because you always tell him" Rebekah shoots back

that hits hard, Klaus feels a ball in his chest at the accusation and lowers his head "I cannot help it, he frightens me"

his sister moves closer to him, a kinder expression on her face "he frightens us all. That is why we stick together as one. Always and forever" she smirks a little "right traitor?"

"Right" he says with a smile

"Now I am to help mother with the meal so you really must tell me exactly what was so important in those woods last night?" she raises an eyebrow

"Never you mind, go help mother with the meal, leave the blades to the men" he says, holding his hand out and Rebekah sticks it right into his palm, cutting him.

"Ah, fine" he says, wiping the blood "I was not alone in the woods"

Rebekah smiles "I knew it, oh how brilliant, come now don't stop there. Which of these village vixens managed to tame the king of brooding"

Klaus furrows his brows together "that is a subject for another time, sister"

"You are absolutely no fun"

Chapter 5:

*Stefan and Elena bring Caroline soup


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Caroline's fever had broken, leaving her at a normal temperature and also very bored. Bonnie came briefly to see her and deliver the herbs, they both needled the other lightly on what kept them out the previous night but neither would speak and she quickly had to return to her grandmother; leaving Caroline lying in bed debating whether or not she could get away with sneaking out the window. Her thoughts are interrupted by a gentle knock on the door

"I'm feeling much better mother, I told you, you don't have to waste your whole day"

"Not mom" Elena's voice sounds through the wood and Caroline smiles

"'Lena what are you doing, you don't have to knock to enter your own room" she laughs

"Stefan is with me, I wanted to make sure you were dressed"

"Because I so often lay around our shared bedroom naked" she rolls her eyes "come in!"

The door opens and Caroline sits up straighter in her bed, Stefan and Elena sit down right beside her, crowding the small bed and her sister holds up a covered stone bowl full of what smells like soup but looks…. well, not like soup "we come bearing gifts"

"Am I supposed to eat that or build furniture out of it?"

"I tried it, promise it's not poison. And that it's better than whatever sludge you brought me last winter" Caroline laughs as Elena elbows Stefan in the rib and reluctantly reaches for the soup, taking a very tentative slurp

"This is edible!" she exclaims in surprise

"Give us a little credit Care" Elena rolls her eyes

Stefan scoffs, "give me a little credit" he says, "Elena barely touched the stove"

"Probably for the best" Caroline says, patting her sister's hand

"Hey! I am a great cook! Mom has been teaching me my whole life!"

"Mom has also been teaching me how to stay in my room at night but we aren't all good at what our parents teach us"

Elena scowls "ingrate"

"Anyway" Caroline rolls her eyes "I am so bored, mom is practically living on top of me, what's going on with you guys? What's the news around town?" she asks eagerly

"It has been one day, you give the village far to much credit. Trust me nothing has happened"

"I swear this place is so boring I may just collapse and die from lack of stimulation" she looks up, as if checking that the coast is clear and says on a hushed tone "do you guys ever think about the old world? What it must be like?"

Stefan gets a little stiff but Elena sighs dreamily and nods "of course, I once had a discussion with Esther Mikaelson about it. She swears the castles are hundreds of feet tall and the towns can have thousands of people in them."

"Of course all those people means that disease spreads quickly and easily" Stefan breaks in, not a fan of the current conversation topic

"Of course" Caroline nods her head "no, I know that. I know it was bad, we are lucky to be here where it is safe. Sometimes I dream though…"

"I don't think there is anything wrong with that" Elena breaks in "of course we would never actually want to go back there" she says, placing a hand on Stefan's shoulder "it's just fun to think about it"

Stefan nods, seemingly back to normal "what about the rest of the world? There has to be places no one has discovered yet, imagine getting in a boat and going somewhere completely new"

"I don't know, that sounds dangerous, even for a fantasy," Elena says, twirling a piece of hair around her finger

"You don't want to come to my new world with me?" Stefan teases

"Quite the contrary, I would _only_ go to a new world with you"

" _Excuse you"_ Caroline breaks in, tone offended and high pitch "you wouldn't come with me? I am your sister!"

Elena rolls her eyes "the argument is pointless. If Stefan was going to a new world he would probably invite you before me" she laughs and Caroline smiles

"Good point. I'd already be on the boat waiting for you slow pokes"

They laugh and Caroline declares that she has had enough of sitting in bed and is going to change and they have to do something. Stefan and Elena nod.

Stefan turns to Elena as soon as the door closes and whispers in her ear "there isn't a person on this earth I would invite anywhere before you"

Elena smiles and leans forward to kiss him.

XXX

"Doing something" turns out to be even worse than lying in bed doing nothing. Caroline was hoping they could go for a hike, walk around the village, or even just watch Stefan use the anvil but that is not what happened. She was lured out into the legal woods on false pretenses of fun and is now throwing rocks into a river going out of her mind with boredom while Stefan and Elena "talk".

She sighs, not wanting to interrupt them but also unable to take sitting still for a moment longer. She decides to walk a little farther down the river bed, feeling icy leaves crunch quietly beneath her feet, not really trying to be silent since she is not hunting. Once she makes it a few hundred feet down she considers climbing a tree but decides to settle for sitting on the edge of the water, removing her shoes and dipping her feet into the icy water, still feeling just slightly warm from her earlier fever.

"That cannot be comfortable" a voice sounds from behind her, surprising her enough that she jumps up and turns to face the man who is belongs to "my apologies. I did not mean to scare you, darling," he says with a lazy smirk that is a little too familiar

"It's alright, but perhaps refrain from sneaking up on people in the middle of the woods in the future. You nearly gave me a heart attack" she says, settling a little

"It was not my intention, I was simply surprised to see you attempting to freeze yourself to death"

She laughs "I have been fighting off a fever all morning, it actually felt quite nice" the man jokingly takes a few steps back and she laughs again "I am not contagious, it was an illness of stupidity moreso than anything else"

"Ah, perhaps from doing things like sticking your feet in freezing cold water as winter is coming on?" he teases

"yes, something like that. It would appear I never learn"

"Something we have in common." He takes a few steps forward, fixing her with a puzzled gaze "I do not believe we have met and yet you look very familiar"

"um" she pauses briefly "I'm Caroline, nice to meet you" she holds out his hand and watches the flicker of recognition pass through his eyes, though thankfully he does not say anything about it

"Kol" he responds "Kol Mikaelson" and now it is his turn to watch recognition flicker through her eyes, though he does not find out if she is planning to say anything as they are immediately interrupted by a frustrated voice from through the trees

"Kol you need to stop wandering off, father is angry enough as it is. What are you even-" and then his older brother breaks through the trees and the words catch in his throat.

Caroline smiles brightly "I can tell you what he was doing, attempting to give me a heart attack by sneaking up on me in the middle of the woods"

Klaus looks angrily at Kol "is that true?"

"I suppose technically, though it was not my intention-"

Caroline cuts him off with a laugh "don't worry Kol, he is just upset because you managed to do what he will never be able to"

Klaus turns to face her, a shy grin fighting its way onto his face "I suppose I should just be glad that someone finally gave you a taste of your own medicine"

"ugh please don't mention medicine. My mother practically drowned me in healing tea this morning"

"Are you not well?" he asks in concern

Caroline smiles shyly, trying to hide the blush that raises in her cheeks at his worried tone "I am quite well now, I was simply unprepared for the chill last night" she says, the two exchanging a conciliatory grin.

"No" Kol's voice breaks Klaus and Caroline from their moment "oh you have got to be kidding me" he laughs "oh darling you are far too high caliber of a woman to be spending your nights with my brother" he balks, laughing at the prospect

"Kol" Klaus growls, sending his elbow hard into his younger brother's rib, nearly knocking the wind out of him

"No need for such display's of violence" Kol chokes out "it is a travesty to live in a place where truth is punished" he says overdramatically "surely your father would not approve!" He says turning to Caroline

Caroline raises a single eyebrow and smirks a little "my father takes no issue with the prospect of punishing insult with injury" she laughs a little "I have only known you a few moments Kol, but something tells me that was a long time coming"

"I take it back" the younger Mikaelson says while rubbing the quickly forming bruise on his chest "she's perfect for you Nik" he rolls his eyes, retreating back the way he came

"Ignore Kol, everybody else does" Klaus says once his brother is our of earshot

Caroline steps forward "am I to ignore everything he said?" she asks "because there may have been one point that made sense"

Klaus swallows hard, finding himself paralyzed under her gaze, conflicting emotions swirling through him. There are several moments of silence before he finally speaks "the truth of his final statement depends on circumstances that are out of my control" he says in a slightly harsh tone that causes Caroline to wince

She nods, stepping farther back "I suppose I deserved that"

Watching her face scrunch up in pain makes him regret the words the second they leave his mouth, "Caroline I-"

"It is alright" she cuts him off "you have a point. For now" she admits, not letting him speak before she simply says "I must get back to my sister now" and turns to leave the stunned man standing on the riverbank by himself.

XXX

A few hundred meters down from where Klaus stands staring at Caroline's retreating form, Kol has decided that if his brother is distracted then he is allowed to be as well. They had risen unusually early to begin work in an attempt to avoid their father, meaning that their afternoon is unspoken for, though he is sure Niklaus will go running back to father to be given more work as soon as he is done with the princess.

As he re-enters the village Kol walks directly towards a small house with too much smoke coming out of its chimney to be from a simple fire. He grins at the thought of all the magic happening inside those walls. As he stands in front of Sheila Bennett's door, Kol glances up at the sky, deciding that it is about a 50/50 chance on whether his mother and sister are still inside or if they have left to prepare dinner already. Given father's mood he guesses mother would have wanted to get home and knocks lightly on the door, liking his odds.

He is both lucky and unlucky as the door opens to reveal none of his immediate family members are in the house but he also does not see the woman he came here to see.

"It does appear that I am overflowing with Mikaelson's as of late" Sheila says coldly

Kol gives his most charming grin "my apologies Sheila, I'll talk to my mother and sister. No sense of boundaries those two. Is Bonnie home?"

"You are not nearly as funny as you think you are, son of Mikael" she responds and Kol merely nods his head, unsure how to respond, luckily Bonnie enters the room at that moment

"Kol" she smiles "what are you doing here I thought-"

"That keeping you out all night would be enough?" Sheila breaks in "evidently not"

Bonnie gasps, "grams, I told you, I was with Elena. She was very upset and I-"

"Comforted her, I am sure" her grandmother shakes her head

"Mrs. Bennett I assure you there is nothing untoward happening, your granddaughter is merely kind enough to help me with my magic in her spare time. I found myself quite jealous of Rebekah and all the time she has to practice while I am out with father"

"Your brothers do not share your affinity for magic?" Sheila asks with a suspicious raise of her eyebrow

Kol shakes his head "Niklaus hunts, Finn and Elijah do nothing but follow orders and Henrik is still to young for such matters"

"It is true grams" bonnie breaks in, seeing her grandmother sizing up the boy in front of her "I help Kol whenever I can. Did you not say yourself that our magic is a gift and we should share it as widely as we can?"

Sheila nods "very well. Bonnie go grab my grimoire" she sends her granddaughter into the adjoining room before turning back to Kol "you are about to get a far more advanced lesson than you thought." She says "if my granddaughter is to teach you, I want to be sure you are worthy of her time"

Kol swallows hard and nods his head, moving silently to sit across from Sheila. He was not exactly prepared for a lesson at the moment. It is true that Bonnie is teaching him magic, but it was not exactly the reason he sought her out this afternoon.

XXX

"Where did you run off to?" Elena asks once Caroline rejoins the couple

Caroline shakes her head "I was feely a little feverish and very foolishly decided to dip my feet in the stream"

"Are you insane?" her sister scolds "first you get yourself ill from traipsing around in the snow and now your freeze your feet off. It is a wonder you have survived for 17 years, Caroline"

Normally Caroline would have a clever retort for that or at least a thinly veiled insult but she is afraid whatever she says may give away that she was not alone so she merely ducks her head sheepishly and says, "Perhaps we should return home. I will need an early night if I am to endure tomorrow" she says dramatically and Elena gives her a sad smile

"What is happening tomorrow?" Stefan asks

"Oh? Have you not heard?" Caroline asks with a gasp "I am engaged to be married and tomorrow the young gentleman is coming over for dinner with the whole family so that father can finish the deal" her tone is joking but only a fool would miss the bitterness that lay beneath the feigned dramatics.

Stefan's eyes widen a little, genuinely surprised "engaged?" he asks "to who"

"It does not matter" Elena breaks in "because the marriage will not be happening" she links arms with her sister and the two share a conspiratorial grin

Stefan sighs "I feel bad for the poor man about to walk into one of the Petrova sisters' schemes"

Elena rolls her eyes "don't. This particular man could do well to be knocked down a peg or two"

Stefan widens his eyes even more "Caroline!" he says indignantly "how could you not tell me you were engaged to my brother" he says completely seriously before they all break out into a fit of laughter

"Perhaps there is a crisis of over confidence plaguing the men of our village" Caroline laughs and her companions nod in agreement "no matter" she shrugs "I am sure I can manage to solve the problem, one fragile ego at a time" they all laugh yet again and for the first time since her mother told her of this dinner, Caroline feels completely confident and at ease.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, I know it's been a hot minute but I've been traveling and grieving that disaster ending. I make no promises for this unedited chapter, it's raw and cheesy and a little different for this story. don't count it as a complete tone change but witty banter only moves a story so far and I wanted to get things moving. It's also entirely klaroline. I don't know if anyone reading this actually cares about the other storylines so maybe let me know if you do or don't so I know how much time to put into those. I always appreciate well rounded side stories but I know some people are all OTP all the time and I'm happy to oblige with either.  
**

 **So please enjoy this chapter which is as raw as Julie Plec has left my heart (wow dramatic much)**

Chapter 6

Caroline had started the day with so much confidence and self-assurance, but the longer she watched her mother and Elena cook the more nervous she became. She had offered to help of course but Elena had merely responded with a joke about not wanting to kill guests to which Caroline asked why she was allowed to cook, causing her mother to laugh and tell them both to pay attention and try to learn something.

"How can you expect me to get married if you don't even trust me to chop root vegetables?" Caroline asks, only half joking

Elizabeth looks up at her daughter with a sigh, knowing the honesty behind what she said but choosing not to have this conversation right now "I trust you to start the fire so we can cook this deer" she responds instead and Caroline nods her head, standing to begin the task.

The hours go by slowly, but eventually there is the heavy rap of knuckles on the wooden door signaling Jonathan has returned home, bringing Richard Lockwood and his wife and son with him. Elizabeth sends her daughters off to change and answers the door.

She smiles and invites everyone in "Richard, Carol so nice to see you" she greets "and Tyler, I believe this is your first time here so welcome"

"Thank you" the young man responds "you have a beautiful home-" his compliment is cut short by the re-entry of Caroline and Elena "and even more beautiful daughters" he finishes. Elena blushes lightly and for a moment Caroline finds herself envious of the blood in her sisters veins. Why does it know how to behave perfectly in every situation?

She shakes her head a little to remove the thought and feels her breath catch in her throat as Tyler Lockwood makes his way closer to her, lifting her hand gently in his and handing her a small bunch of light yellow wild flowers, the ones that Elena always loves to adorn her hair with.

"Winter came on so suddenly I thought it a crime not to preserve the last piece of summer that I could" the man says charmingly "I saw these hunting and thought them so beautiful that I could not help but think of you" Caroline smiles at his pretty words, charmed by the sentiment until Elena breaks in

"Oh how lovely, and they match your hair perfectly" she smiles and Caroline's mouth falls into a tight line at her sisters words. The flowers are lovely, but holding onto a piece of summer is what Elena does. Adorning herself with flowers and basking in pretty words is what Elena does. It is not what she does.

"Thank you, they are beautiful" she responds, because they are. The thought is beautiful; it is far kinder and more thoughtful than many men would have been to her in this situation. Perhaps that is the hardest part, how much she knows she should want him.

"How lovely" Elizabeth breaks in "but let's not let the food get cold" Caroline is grateful for the interjection as they all move into the adjoining dining room.

Caroline and Elena return to the kitchen and begin bringing out the meal, when everything is set on the wooden table there are 2 chairs open and Caroline does not miss the subtle way in which their father reaches for Elena's arm and pulls her into the seat beside him. To an outsider it may have looked like a kind gesture by a loving father to be near his favorite daughter. Everyone at this table knows the truth as Caroline smiles and is forced into the seat beside Tyler.

"Well this all looks wonderful" Carol gushes "did Caroline and Elena prepare the meal this evening?" she asks and Caroline fights the desire to roll her eyes at the obvious attempt to determine her wifely skills.

"They certainly helped" Elizabeth says diplomatically

XXX

After dinner has been finished the Petrova-Lockwood families begin to bid their goodnight's. Caroline is placing a few freshly rinsed clay bowls back into their dish trunk when someone else enters the room.

"Can we speak?" a deep voice enquires "somewhere private perhaps?"

Caroline smiles "I have an idea" she says, reaching for his hand and putting her finger to her lips. She leads him quietly out of the back door off the room they are currently in, grabbing her cloak and one of her father's fur coats off of a hook as she does so. She passes him the coat as they walk several hundred steps until they are far enough away from her home. She slips the cloak over her shoulders and wraps her arms around herself "I don't think anyone will hear us back here"

Tyler nods "I just wanted to apologize for my mother and talk to you about a few things, we have never had a conversation just the two of us"

"I should imagine our parents would like us to have many conversations just the two of us in the future"

"That's what I wanted to say. I'm not sure what your feelings are about our engagement, but I wanted you to know that I was the one who requested the match."

Caroline tilts her head in confusion "I don't understand, why? Why me?"

"You're different," he says with a smile "our parents have been friends a long time, I've noticed you and I like that you aren't like every other girl in this village. I see you with your sister; I know how much you love her and care for her. I… forgive me for my forwardness, princess but I think that you would be a wonderful wife and mother."

Caroline opens her mouth to respond but he continues quickly, putting his hands up as if he knows what she is about to say " but not how you may think. I want you to know that I don't share my mother's thinly veiled desire to know of your homemaking capabilities. If you never want to cook or clean or start a fire I couldn't care less. We can pay women from the village to help us with such things. I think that you are beautiful and I love how big your heart is. I want my children to share those qualities. I want to take care of you to the same extent that you are accustomed to. Once we are married I promise that you will never have to do anything you do not wish to do."

The sentiment is beautiful, overwhelming even. She never imagined that he may have actually… wanted her. She just assumed their parents had made a decision together. He's offering her so much. More than almost any other man in the village could. Certainly more than most would. He is offering her freedom that she never even dreamed of.

"You don't have to say anything, I know this must be a lot to take in. I just wanted you to know"

She smiles at him genuinely. "Thank you, I must admit I am a little overwhelmed, but thank you for telling me all of this. You are a kind man" she presses a soft kiss to his cheek "would you mind giving me some time alone to think over everything you have said?"

"I couldn't leave you out here alone, princess. It's not safe"

She wants to tell him that she is fine, that she can take care of herself. She wants to tell him not to underestimate her, but she supposes that may not be fair. He is not intending to insult her. He is being chivalrous. It is every quality she should desire in a future husband. So she smiles and takes his arm and allows him to lead her back to her home. Where she finds her father's disapproving glare burning holes into her back

"Mr. Petrova, please accept my apologies. I asked Caroline if we could speak privately, I assure you nothing untoward happened. I would never-"

"I understand Tyler. Your parents are waiting for you in the front room. I told everyone we were all speaking in here. Do not mention this to anyone."

Tyler nods and slips quietly out of the room

"I am sorry father, we were only talking-"

"I know that" Jonathan says "I am not going to comment on how inappropriate your sneaking off was. You have been inappropriately sneaking off your entire life. I am here to ensure that you are not planning to do something reckless"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are marrying Tyler Lockwood, Carolina. You may believe that sneaking off and having conversations with him is important. You may believe that knowing him is important or that your feelings for each other are important but they are not. You will marry Tyler because it is a good match" he doesn't even have the courtesy to show emotion as he speaks. Every word he says is simply a statement of fact.

Caroline looks up at him, pain in her eyes "do you truly care so little for me father? Is my happiness not important at all?"

"Stop being dramatic. You will be happy with him. Tyler is a good, strong young man. Your mother and I were married in order to unite the old and new world. Elena will marry a Salvatore; one of the new families and you will marry a Lockwood, one of the old. This is how it was always going to be."

"So Elena gets to choose and I do not?"

"Elena has never had a choice either. We have been throwing her in the path of those brothers since she was a child. She simply took to our suggestion without us having to make it explicit"

"What if I say no"

Jonathan looks at his daughter, eyes growing angry for the first time in the conversation "I have indulged you your entire life, I have looked the other way as you disobeyed, I have allowed you to live the first 17 years of your life exactly as you want. You have enjoyed every freedom and every luxury, in part because of your mother's guilt at taking away this choice. You have had nearly 2 decades of complete freedom and now it is time to do something for someone other than yourself. You will marry Tyler Lockwood. There is no if."

Caroline does not reply. She can feel tears pricking her eyes and so she turns on her heel to leave.

For a moment she is angry with Klaus, if she had never met him Tyler would seem like an ideal choice. She would be happy.. Or at least content to marry him.

The worst part of everything her father said is that there is a truth to it. She has had many years of freedom and perhaps she is being selfish. She knows how important her family is. She lays her face in her hands and sighs. She knows what she should do. She knows what she should want.

And yet, less than a minute later she is sneaking out her bedroom window to see another man. Why must she always want the wrong thing?

XXX

Caroline is surprised by how quickly the cold has come on. Tyler spoke at dinner of the last remnants of summer but she believes in this moment that summer is entirely gone. By morning the last of the flowers will be covered in snow. She wraps her cape more tightly around herself and ducks behind a tree, hoping to catch Klaus exiting his home to grab firewood. She knows he won't be in the woods tonight.

Klaus doesn't leave, but she does catch a blonde girl who seems to be roughly her age trying to sneak in the back door of the Mikaelson home. She shrugs; figuring her secrets will be safe with a fellow rule breaker. She tries not to scare the girl as she comes up behind her.

"Good evening" she greets, failing in her mission to not scare the other girl. She jumps back but mercifully does not make a noise

"What the bloody hell are you doing here at this hour?"

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you, I was hoping to speak with one of your brothers" she says sheepishly

The other girl looks her up and down, pieces clicking together quickly in her head. She leans back a little, crossing her fur coat covered arms over each other "as you may know, Carolina, I have many brothers. Perhaps you should be a little more specific"

Caroline laughs a little "of course, my apologies. Oh and please, call me Caroline." She reaches her hand out

"Rebekah" the other blonde says, still suspicious

"Nice to meet you, Rebekah. I would really appreciate it if you could send NIklaus out to meet me once you are inside"

Rebekah doesn't even try to hide her shock. Her lips curl up into a slight smile and she eyes Caroline obviously "Oh fantastic. I have been trying to make that wanker tell me who he is meeting in those damn woods for days now!"

Caroline's eyes widen a little; surprised that Klaus has spoken about her to someone. She thought they were each other's little secret.

"Oh don't worry princess, I promise he only said even the tiniest hint of something when I literally stabbed him- oh I did not mean that how it came out, Nik can just be so damn stubborn. He could use a god blade to the hand every once in a while" she sniffs, flipping her intricately braided hair over her shoulder

Caroline laughs "he told me about you. Said on multiple occasions that he felt we would get along."

"Well I certainly hope so." She looks around "I'll send him out, but you have to promise to come speak to me in the daylight sometime. I am absolutely dying to have another woman join this family!"

"Oh let's not get ahead of ourselves-" her statement falls on deaf ears however as Rebekah has disappeared inside.

She doesn't have enough time to get too far into her head, Klaus is standing in front of her almost impossibly quickly, a look of confusion on his face. Caroline lets out a breath of relief and a smile when she sees him

"Caroline, what's-"

"Come with me" she says, grabbing his hand the same way she did Tyler and leading him a respectable number of paces away from the home. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't wake you, it seems we only see each other during the hours we should be resting"

"That is more your choice than my own, sweetheart. And don't worry I was not asleep. If you are going to apologize for anything it should be informing Rebekah, she's practically planning our wedding. You're the one who has to break it to her" he deadpans, obviously teasing but she feels a pang of guilt.

"That's why I dragged you out here" she says. He raises an eyebrow at her and she feels a desire to keep him waiting, to delay the innevitable. She looks up at the sky, watching a few lazy flakes of snow fall to the ground. She grins wider, throwing her arms out wide and spinning around, laughing. When he just continues looking at her she grabs his hand and pulls him with her "you need to lighten up" she says quietly

He slips his free arm around her waist and starts to move them in a slower, more graceful manner "and you are stalling"

"hmmm" she leans her head into the hollow of his neck and hums against his skin "are you complaining?"

"Not in the slightest" he whispers

"I had dinner with the Lockwood's tonight" she says, breaking the moment. She thinks he will stop his movement, but he only pulls her closer "my father isn't going to let me out of this engagement."

Klaus nods "do you want to marry him?"

She sighs, "I have been informed that not everything is about what I want"

Klaus stops his movement, looking down at her he captures her eyes in his own "do you want to marry him?" he asks again, more seriously

Caroline shakes her head slowly "no" the word is a whisper, nearly lost on the wind but it rings like a thousand bells inside of Klaus' head. He resumes their careful dance "but I don't have a choice"

"Run away with me," he says the words simply, as though it is the easiest, most obvious thing in the world

"What?' she blinks, falling behind a step

"Do you ever think about the old world? I grew up there, I know people there. I can get us back. Or we can find a new village or set off in search of a whole new land I don't care. I'll take you, wherever you want, just don't marry him"

"Why?" She asks breathlessly "I don't understand, why me?"

"My mother is a witch" he says simply and she narrows her eyes in confusion. He smiles a little, looking at her in that reverent way that it feels like only he can

"I grew up with her and my sister talking incessantly about the beauty of nature and creation, about its importance, it's eternal cosmic role and how it makes our destiny"

"I don't understand what any of this has to do with me"

"Everything" he says, lifting their intertwined hands to caress her fingers slowly "my family has tried my entire life to enshrine in me the sanctity of nature and I never understood it until I met you"

Caroline looks up at him, still not entirely understanding what he means and he takes a deep breath

Klaus' hand reaches up to sweep a stray hair back behind her ear "I can see the sunlight in your hair" golden and bright and drawing him in to make himself orbit around her like the earth itself "I can see the ocean in your eyes" deep blue, flashing, wild, free, shifting back and forth like waves.

His eyes trail down her face "I feel like I'm watching roses bloom in the flush of your cheeks" it's rare but in those moments when something he says makes the blood rush to her cheeks it's like seeing a primrose's petals unfurl on the milky white canvas of her cheek.

"I can see the sunrise in your lips and feel the warmth and sting of lightning in your words. I feel the wind move with your smile and the earth shake with your touch. I don't know how to explain it exactly but it is as if you have created the world around me and painted it in colors that I never knew existed."

Caroline stares at him in utter disbelief, completely overcome. She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't have the words that he does. She can't help but compare his speech in her mind to Tyler's. With all of his pragmatism and reassurance, how he chose her because he thinks she will make a good mother. How he wants to take care of her. Klaus never mentioned anything like that. There is nothing practical in his words, he has no finite plan, he has no future planned. But he is choosing her for her. Every word he spoke settled itself into her bones and all she knows is that no matter how much she should want Tyler, Klaus is her gravity, pulling her slowly towards him. She's not even sure it's her choice when her lips meet his and her hand fists itself into his hair. She's not sure it's her decision, but she's happy to be caught in his pull. Happier than she has ever been.

"Ok" she breathes, lips swollen "ok let's go. I'll go wherever you do"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Oh please Nik, you have to tell me more about her. Please, there are so many men rolling around in this house I feel as if I will go insane. At least give me some hope for a sister!"

"Rebekah I told you, let it be" his voice is hushed as he tries to make her match the whispered tone "don't…" he sighs "don't get your hopes up"

"Well it's too late for that. You should not have let her come here if you didn't want me to get my hopes up. I am going to go talk to her tomorrow and tell her that you are the most amazing man-"

"Stop!" he says forcefully and then softens at her hurt expression "I'm sorry sister, but please just be patient, ok? Don't talk to her you will scare her off"

"Does she really frighten so easily?"

Klaus is unsure how to respond to that. Caroline is the bravest woman he has ever known, but he also knows what she would be giving up to go with him. He knows she may talk herself out of it. And Rebekah going over there at dawn can only hurt his cause.

Luckily he is saved from answering by the quiet but steady creek of the back door. Rebekah shoots him a confused look and then goes to investigate

"Do none of my brothers know the meaning of the word propriety!" she says on an indignant whisper as Kol walks into the kitchen.

"Oh don't pretend you haven't snuck out of your bed to see whatever village boy you are in love with on alternating weeks"

"Well at least I'm quiet about it" she sniffs

Klaus shakes his head "go to sleep"

XXX

Caroline has always defined herself at least in part by her sister. Not in a negative way, necessarily- Elena is her best friend and she always will be. But she has also defined herself by her choices, by her ability to do as she pleases and refuse to be backed into a corner. She is a rebel by nature and right now she can feel the rebellious side of herself fighting a violent tug of war with the dedicated sister and daughter part.

She can't just run away… can she? She supposes she already agreed to. And she wants to. Oh how badly she wants to. If only they could have ran right out of those woods and into a new life. If only they hadn't agreed to pack a few things and meet at sunset. If only she hadn't been given this extra time to think herself out of it.

"Do you think I'm selfish?" Caroline asks, seemingly out of the blue before her sister has even managed to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"What? Of course not, don't be ridiculous" Elena mumbles, not quiteawake

"I'm serious. With all of my sneaking off and refusing to be what our parents expect of me. Is it selfish?"

Elena sighs "I think that all people are selfish and if it ever appears someone isn't it just means that what they want is also what others want." She pauses, turning over to stare at the ceiling "it's not your fault that what you want is not what father wants"

Caroline smiles a little, letting her words sink in "I think you might be the least selfish person I know"

Elena snorts in derision "tell that to Damon"

"Damon doesn't-"

"Don't Caroline. It was wrong what I did to him. Wrong and horribly selfish"

"You didn't know what you wanted, that isn't your fault"

Elena sits up in her bed, turning to fix her sister with a serious gaze. When she speaks her voice is a whisper "is it wrong if I still don't know what I want?"

Caroline wants to scream yes. She wants to hit her sister on the head until she comes to her senses. She wants to tell her that Stefan is her epic love and a nice man and the right choice. If it were a week ago that is exactly what she would be doing, but she has recently become intimately aware of just how difficult a decision between what you know is right and what you know is _right_ can be.

"I always thought that everything came so easily to you. Making the right decisions, acting in the right way, choosing the right man. I never understood how difficult it must have been making up for all of my antics by being the perfect daughter"

"It was not a burden. For a long time it did come easily to me, everything was easy before Damon" she pauses "which should probably tell me something"

"Do you love him?"

Elena does not speak but her head nods slowly

"Do you love Stefan?"

Again her head nods "is that wrong?"

"I don't think I know what right and wrong are anymore, sister"

XXX

Caroline and Elena are silent as they sit at the breakfast table. The words they had been sharing, as they got ready in their room were certainly not ones that could be carried on in front of their parents and somehow they both had a mutual understanding that it was not a time for casual chatter.

Elizabeth places a loaf of sliced bread in front of them and a bowl of fruit preserves "you girls are quiet" she says as Jonathan enters carrying a clay jar of milk

"I was under the impression that my thoughts and opinions did not matter in this household, so why waste the breath" Caroline says with a glare towards her father

"Don't be a child, Carolina, you are far to old for such petulance to be charming"

"We had some trouble sleeping last night is all" Elena breaks in "I forgot to grab the extra wools from the chest and it was a little cold"

"I will grab those before we head out today then" Elizabeth nods and silence falls over the table once more

After several uncomfortable moments Jonathan stands, having barely swallowed his last mouthful of bread

"Where are you going so early? You went hunting yesterday" Elizabeth comments

He looks around the table, gaze ending up on his youngest daughter "I am meeting with Richard, we have much to discuss"

Caroline cannot stop her jaw from dropping "father please" she says, ignoring the fact that other people are in the room "I understood everything you told me last night. I understand what you want from me. But… does it have to happen so quickly?"

There is the briefest flash of sympathy in Jonathan's eyes, he opens his mouth to speak and then closes it again with a terse nod before walking out of the room

"What was that?" Elena asks

"The next full moon after tonight will be the winter solstice" Elizabeth says quietly "your father has decided that Caroline and Tyler will be married before the start of the festival and then you and Stefan will be married before the start of the summer solstice festival. He sees it as some sort of symmetry and believes it will bring luck upon the village"

"Stefan and I have barely even spoken of getting married! We never agreed to this happening so soon!"

"And I did?" Caroline snorts "you have half a year, I have one moon cycle this is not about you right now Elena!" she turns back to her mother "Elena is older and her marriage matters more, why am I being made to go first!"

"Your father is right. You sound like children, both of you. Tyler and Stefan are good, honest men. They will be true and they both love you, Have you any idea how uncommon it is for a marriage to actually be about love? Elena you have no grounds for complaint in this matter. You are marrying the man you love and have ample time to prepare for the ceremony. Caroline… Tyler cares for you. I was in the room when he asked your father for the match. I believe you will be happy with him"

Caroline nods, standing to excuse herself from the table. She moves to where her mother is sitting and pulls her into a hug "I understand what this means," she says as her mother returns the gesture "I know what I have to do" Caroline closes her eyes, fighting to stop a tear from escaping "I love you mother"

XXX

Caroline knocks on Sheila's door hesitantly, hoping it will be Bonnie on the other side and trying to hide her disappointment with a polite smile when the matriarch of the household answers

"Hello Miss Sheila, is Bonnie home?"

"Not at the moment" the older woman says with a kind smile "she is out tutoring a young village man in our arts, but she should return very soon. Come in, I will make you a cup of tea while you wait"

"Oh no, I am actually in a bit of a hurry, I can come back-"

"She will only be a minuet. Are you not recovering from an illness, princess? Surely a cup of my herb tea is not unwelcome in such a state?"

Caroline nods politely and enters the home "thank you, I really am feeling much better though"

Sheila nods as she pours already boiled water into a few mugs along with a healthy handful of herbs that Caroline cannot identify, but the warmth is certainly welcome when she takes her first sip

"I am glad to hear it child, it would appear you will need your strength for many exciting activities over the next moon cycle"

"How did you-"

"Few things happen in this village that I cannot predict, do not worry. No one else knows yet." She pauses and a comfortable silence falls over the room as they drink their tea. "You will be content with him, the Lockwood boy, should you go through with the arrangement"

"You speak as though I have a choice"

"There is always a choice"

"Will I be… content… if I do not go through with the arrangement?" Caroline grips her mug tightly, draining the last few drops

"Now that is a question with too many variables to predict. You may ask it again when you have made a choice"

Caroline sets her mug down in front of her just as the door opens and Bonnie walks in. She is glad for the reprieve, having always found Sheila's ways a little overwhelming.

Sheila watches as Caroline stands to hug her granddaughter, the two moving quickly out of the home with a hasty thank you from the princess and an utterance of affection from Bonnie. Sheila waits a few moments before reaching gently for the empty tea mug. Her eyebrows knit together in concern as she looks into the leaves "oh, child" she whispers aloud "it would appear you have already made you choice. May the gods have mercy on us all"

XXX

"Did you hit your head on a low hanging tree branch while you were hunting?" Bonnie asks bluntly as soon as Caroline finishes speaking

"Um excuse me, I just bared my heart to you and told you things no one else knows and that's your only reaction?"

"Well did you?"

Caroline sighs, "No, I'm completely sane"

Bonnie smiles a little "I understand wanting to be with someone that may not be an appropriate choice, but running away cannot be the answer"

"Bonnie if I stay here I will be married by the next full moon. You know my father!"

"Many in the village hold affections for those they are not married to"

"That is not the life I want. The way that Tyler speaks to me, like I need to be protected, like I cannot do anything for myself I cannot live like that. It would be like a cage"

Bonnie sighs, "When will you come back?"

Caroline looks down "I do not think we would be welcome to come back

Bonnie's eyes widen "you mean to tell me that you are going to leave all of us, your _family_ for a man you have barely known a full moon cycle!"

"It's not only about him. I mean it is, but I have never truly fit in here. I realized this morning that I would not only be going for Niklaus, I would be going for a chance to start fresh somewhere that I am not known only as the… wrong Petrova sister"

"That isn't how you are known-"

"It is. And that's okay. But I am the wrong sister because I don't belong here. You should hear Niklaus speak of the old world, he talks of settlements 100 times the size of our village, of towers that are hundreds of men tall, it all sounds like such an adventure"

"You have always loved adventure "Bonnie looks at her friend and she can see in her eyes that her mind is already made up. "I am going to miss you as though a piece of my own heart has left"

Caroline wants to cry at the slight crack in her best friend's voice "I have always loved you like a sister Bonnie" she pauses "at times I have loved you better than my sister"

As the two girls embrace a thought dawns on Bonnie "you cannot leave tonight! It is the full moon!"

"That is why we have to leave tonight, we won't be missed. When everyone moves into the underground we will simply slip away, eavh of our family's will believe we are supporting another family and even if they find out we are gone… they will not be able to follow us until morning. We will be on a ship by dawn"

"It's too dangerous"

"Niklaus knows where the wolves turn, he has watched them before. We can get around them"

Bonnie shakes her head "how will I know that you are safe?"

"magic"

XXX

Caroline knows that not being able to say goodbye to Stefan and Elena will be a regret she carries with her until the day she dies, but she also knows that they will try to stop her. Bonnie understands, Bonnie can be trusted. Elena and Stefan will not understand why she wants to leave. How could they?

She walks around the edges of the village, enjoying the crisp air on her cheeks and the gentle crunch of snow under her boots. The sun is hanging low in the sky and she knows that in a matter of hours her family will begin moving underground. She returned home after visiting Bonnie and told her mother that she was going to spend the full moon with Tyler's family as an act of good will, to get to know him better. Her mother wanted it to be true so badly that she agreed without thinking.

Caroline wants to believe that in other circumstances her mother would realize that docile acceptance was not Caroline's style. Her mother appears to know her far better than she ever thought, perhaps she knows. Elizabeth had hugged her so tightly before she left. Told her how much she loves her. Thanked her for 'doing the right thing'. Maybe she knows.

Or maybe she will wake up tomorrow and have her heart torn out of her chest by her youngest daughter's disappearance. There is no doubt that her sister will. The idea of never seeing Elena again almost sends her running back home. Instead she wraps the cloak tighter around herself and moves slowly into the forest.

XXX

The sun has just dipped below the horizon when Niklaus manages to pry himself away from Rebekah. The full moon scares her so much, he regrets that he will not be there for her in future full moons, but she is grown and Mikael no doubt already has his eyes on a match for her. He tells her to cover for him with the rest of the family, that he wants to be with Caroline tonight. Not technically a lie, just not the full truth.

He grabs the bag he stuffed full of a food, tools, and a few sentimental objects before slipping out of the back door without anyone noticing.

Or so he thought.

XXX

"You are late" Caroline teases from twenty feet above him on a slightly precarious tree branch

"And you are playing a game you cannot win" he grins, easily slinging his bag over his shoulder and gripping onto a low branch to pull himself up

Caroline laughs as he climbs with quick and precise movements, reaching her branch in mere moments "if you try to come onto this limb it will snap and we will both fall to our deaths"

Klaus smirks "then I suggest you come closer, because mortal peril has hardly kept me away from you so far"

Caroline wants to be coy, she wants to tease him and make him wait but she finds herself moving very quickly towards him. As her foot reaches onto the same branch as his Klaus slips his arm protectively around her waist and bends his head to capture her lips in one movement.

Caroline knew she was making the right decision, but if even a tiny part of her was still searching for some type of confirmation, surely this feeling is it.

"You came," he breathes slowly against her lips, as tension he did not even realize he was carrying leaves his shoulders and she can feel herself melt into him.

Now it is Caroline's turn to smirk "wild wolves could not keep me away"

"I am glad to hear it, but we won't be encountering any of those-"

"I know. I trust you" Klaus can feel a lump form in the back of his throat, the combination of her words and what they are about to do momentarily rendering him speechless

"Nik" a soft, cracking voice sounds from the forest floor and they both go still "Nik where are you I want to watch the wolves with you!"

Caroline asks the question with her eyes and Klaus shakes his head "my youngest brother- Henrik. He caught me coming home the night I got stuck out here. He asked if he could watch the wolves next time I went. I said no but he must have seen me sneaking out" He looks down at the figure of the pre-pubescent boy and growls a little "I have to get him back safely. Stay here, don't move until I come back. The change will have started already"

Caroline nods rapidly "I understand, I will be here"

Klaus manages to steal one more kiss before making his way hurriedly down the trunk of the tree, his voice too hushed for Caroline to hear as he speaks to his brother.

She keeps her promise to stay in the tree but moves down a few branches to track their movements. She watches Klaus grab the younger boy by the shoulders, his face angry as they speak quickly. The boy looks down in shame and she can see Klaus grab his hand. Then they are both out of sight.

She settles on the branch and pulls a knife and stone out of her bag, figuring she might as well be useful during this unforeseen delay. A sharp knife will definitely be an asset.

Caroline brings the blade against the stone and a sharp 'ching' sounds throughout the forest.

It is the second loudest high pitch sound to echo through the woods in that moment.

The first is the pained scream of a 10-year-old boy.


	9. Chapter 8

**I was so happy and encouraged by all the support I got after the last chapter that I just had to get this one out quicker, I honestly wasn't sure if the fandom would still be around reading newer fics but I'm so glad you're all here and you inspired me to really start picking up the pace as well ;) This chapter is a bit shorter but I hope you still enjoy it nonetheless!**

Chapter 8:

23 days. It has been 23 days since Caroline has seen Klaus. 23 days since he left her sitting in a tree waiting for him to come back, waiting to run away. After a few hours she figured out that Henrik must have been… not ok. She stayed in the tree until dawn, terrified to face the wolves that had clearly injured-possibly killed the young boy.

When she returned home it was to a fully awake family. In the moment that she saw them and was greeted with grateful sighs and tearful embraces instead of her father's screaming voice and her mother's disappointed look she realized Henrik Mikaelson had to be dead.

Her family was so glad that she was okay that even her father forgot to yell at her. That could only mean someone had died.

It was nearly two weeks before anyone saw even a glimpse of a single Mikaelson. Even then they appeared to be sticking to the shadows, coming out at night. Truth be told they were starting to scare the village.

There were even whispers that Esther had spoken to Sheila in the early hours of the day following Henrik's death but Bonnie claims to have never seen her.

Caroline had tried to go to their home several times in the first week, but no answer ever came to her knocking. She knew they were all in there, but still there was no answer. She told herself to let them grieve, not to push, to let them have their time and space. But now it's three weeks later and she has spent those three weeks trying her hardest to avoid her mother's not so subtle attempts to get her to spend more time with Tyler and tuning out her father's constant reminders that no matter what she may think she is getting married on the next full moon. In 7 days.

It has also been 23 days since her father fully banned her from the woods. Since he set spies in the village to tell him any time she strays so much as a few feet before the village line. They don't know she was running, they thought she had just been out hunting. Her father genuinely believes that he is protecting her. That this is for her own good. But she is suffocating. She feels trapped; this village has never felt so much like a cage.

And she won't be trapped anymore.

XXX

It took days to plan an escape. She just needs a few hours in the woods. Just a few hours of freedom to clear her head and figure out how everything went so horribly wrong. She waits until the moon is high and everyone is asleep. The window is no longer an option, the chill would wake Elena and even she is anti-sneaking out ever since Henrik. It seems strange how much the village has changed in only a few short weeks.

Before going to sleep Caroline slipped a piece of fabric into the hinges so the bedroom door opens silently without its usual scraping. She takes the wooden stairs painfully slowly; shifting her weight from one step to the next in the exact places she had spent the last few days secretly figuring out didn't creak.

Then she's through the kitchen and standing in front of the back door, the hardest obstacle. If she opens it slowly it will creek, if she opens it quickly the latch will bang. She wraps her hand in her cloak and tries to stop the metal of the latch from making any noise as she carefully lifts it up, choosing a slow creak over a loud bang and in a few minuets she's out.

The gauntlet isn't over yet though. She takes the longest route to the woods she possibly can so as to remain in the darkest areas of town, the places where houses block moonlight and no one would be able to see her even if they were awake.

The moment her boot crunches against the snow over the village line she feels a thousand pounds lift off her shoulder (about four thousand are still there, but small victories). She smiles for the first time in weeks and doesn't even grab for her spear, she just enjoys the sounds and smells and feeling of the forest.

Then a branch snaps behind her and she whips around, there is a figure a few feet away and a sense of déjà vu fills her "I see your ability to tread silently has not improved" she laughs a little despite herself, so happy to be within touching distance of him again.

"You shouldn't be here" his voice is not the voice she is used to. It's gruff and angry and pained.

"Where else would I be?" she starts to move towards him and he takes several fast steps backwards

"Stay there. Stop. Don't come any closer, Caroline"

"Why?"

"I don't want to hurt you"

The sound that escapes Caroline's throat does so without her permission, it's strangled and pained and confused "It's a little late for that, Niklaus. You have hurt me. Every day that you refuse to talk to me hurts me"

Klaus shakes his head, trying to think of anything except the pulsating thrum of blood in her veins "Caroline" her name feels like a prayer on his lips, he is praying that she will turn around and run. He is praying that she will go back to the village and never speak to him again. "I need you to trust me when I say that the pain you have felt is nothing compared to what you will feel if you stay here"

"You can't do this!" she shouts, "You can't just abandon someone in a tree and never talk to them again. I know that sounds awful and selfish and terrible because you lost your brother and I'm making it about me but I'm not asking you for anything. I understand if you need time. I tried to give you as much time as I could but I… I don't have much time left"

He knows it isn't appropriate given the situation but Klaus lets out a bitter laugh. Here she is talking about how she doesn't have time when that is all he has. All he has is a dead brother and a curse that makes him want to rip into her throat. He wants to kill the woman that he is desperately in love with. What has his mother done to him?

"This is not funny" she glares at him

"I know, I-I know," he says composing himself. He doesn't really think any of this is funny, but it is the first time in weeks that he's laughed so he cannot be quite as contrite as she would like.

"I've missed you" she says quietly, finding it impossible to be mad at him when she's spent so long worrying. She tries to move closer and again he steps back

"You should go"

"When can I see you again?"

"You can't. You need to go. Leave and forget about me. Marry Tyler, it's for the best, you will be happy with him"

"If I wanted to be happy with Tyler I never would have agreed to running away with you-"

"And look how well that turned out" the venom in his voice takes her aback and he flinches a little at her expression. How is that even possible, how can he want to rip the heart out of her chest and bite into it but also want to reach forward and comfort her?

"What happened to you?" her question is cut off when a flash of movement catches both of their eyes and before she knows it there is a sharp pressure on her throat and her back is pressed against a tree.

"Oh more happened to us than you could even dream of, darling" Kol's smile is malicious and so different from the one she remembers him wearing by the lake. Caroline feels his palm start to crush her windpipe and she reaches for the spear in her belt, but he is faster. Impossibly fast. She has barely even moved a finger when the loud snap of her spear's shaft sounds throughout the forest.

And in the next moment, before she can register anything Kol's body is ripped off of her and his bones crack as he hits the trunk of a tree. Klaus kneels down beside her, his finger slowly caressing her neck "are you ok?" he whispers

She nods slowly "I don't understand-"

"It's quite simple darling-" as Kol stands up he shifts his shoulders, cracking his neck back into place and Caroline's eyes widen in fear. This isn't possible. None of this is possible. "After you and my brother's little run away attempt ended so tragically-"

"Don't Kol" Klaus growls, placing his body strategically between Kol and Caroline

"Oh come on Niklaus, you cannot seriously still have feelings for this girl? This is not our life anymore brother, the sooner everyone realizes that the sooner we can get out of this tragic village and really start having fun"

"Kol-" Klaus' voice is warning, but he is cut off quickly

"Oh I know" he begins dramatically "you love her, you were going to run away together, it's all so tragically beautiful. Well why don't you let me help you get over these pesky feelings" he flashes forward, snapping Klaus' spine and tossing him to the ground before grabbing Caroline once again "don't worry brother, in a few moments your tragically beautiful love will just be… well, tragic" and then Caroline knows she must be losing her mind because Kol's eyes go red, veins cover his face, and fangs drop from his mouth, latching onto her neck.

The feeling of blood being syphoned from her body is not as painful as Caroline would have imagined. Given the circumstances she feels a kind of strange sense that her story has come full circle. Perhaps it is a great cosmic irony that a superior predator in these woods should kill her.

But the universe appears to set aside its taste for the ironic as she feels Kol's body go limp against her, her own blood spilling from his mouth and onto her cloak as his jaw goes slack.

A million questions fly through Caroline's head, but they are all a foggy blur as her vision starts to space in and out. She is aware that there are a pair of strong arms supporting her body as she falls, and then… nothing.

Klaus must have said Caroline's name a hundred times as he rocks her body, trying so hard to make her wake up. She isn't dead. He can feel her pulse, but it is low and slow and on its way to beating out entirely. He can feel himself bite his lip so hard it tears open and blood fills his mouth. He spits it onto the ground and starts to cry.

Ever since he turned he had been trying to keep her out of his head, to stay away from her. It was supposed to be for her own good, it was supposed to keep her safe; he was trying to protect her. Gods know it isn't because he cares about her any less. Ever since his transition he feels like he loves her more than life itself. He thinks about her every moment, even now just looking at her face, feeling her heart slow he wants to rip his own heart out of his chest.

Klaus can't help himself from moving forward and kissing her one last time.

Caroline can feel her eyes slowly start to open and as they do they meet the devastatingly blue eyes that have haunted her dreams for weeks. She feels her lips pull up into a smile against his

"Caroline?" he breathes her name as though he doesn't believe she is in front of him "are you… how are you awake?"

"I don't know" she says slowly "but I feel fine," she slowly begins to sit up, Klaus supporting her weight easily. Her fingers move to trace her lips and when she pulls them back traces of red tint her flesh "what-"

"My blood" Klaus says dumbfounded, feeling the now healed wound on his lip "it.. it must have healed you?"

"Is this a dream?" she asks slowly, unable to process all of the impossible things that have happened in the last moments.

"No" he says quietly "it's a nightmare"

Caroline shakes her head "most nightmares don't come with an explanation. And this one _definitely_ will" she says, poking him hard.

Klaus can't help but smile at her, even now, even seeing what he and his brother have become she speaks as though she has no fear of him. And that is what he loves most about her, her bravery, her honesty… but right now, that is what is going to get her killed.

Klaus lifts his hand to cup her cheek, slowly caressing her skin with his thumb as he catches her eyes in his own "I'm sorry my love, but it doesn't" he says as his pupils begin to dilate "you are going to go straight home, you will go to sleep and forget that you ever left the house tonight. You will forget everything that happened here. You will forget you ever saw me. When you wake up tomorrow you will feel better, happier. You will let me go and you will marry Tyler"

Caroline repeats his instructions back to him in a daze and then she is standing up and walking back towards the village and Klaus feels one final tear escape at the realization that he will never see her again.


	10. Chapter 9

**Happy Sunday friends, this is admittedly a bit of a filler, but we're ramping up now, getting to where I wanted the story to move from the beginning so I hope everyone is excited for that.**

 **I also want to say thank you again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter or any chapter, hearing from you guys really keeps my faith in the fandom and makes me want to write, it's so nice to see how active people still are XOXO**

Chapter 9

"You are awake early" Caroline comments sleepily at the sight of her sister fully dressed and ready for the day

"I am going to see Stefan quickly before breakfast"

Caroline gasps dramatically "Elena Petrova spitting in the face of father's rules? Be still my heart"

"Actually… I asked father for permission last night." She pauses "it just feels different now, sneaking out doesn't seem worth it anymore."

"Yeah I know what you mean… I actually feel the same. It's time for both of us to just accept the future and be more responsible. Rebellion just feels like an unnecessary risk"

Elena nods "you look tired, were you up late thinking?"

"No I… I slept through the night, I don't remember anything after my head hit the pillow… but I do feel more tired than usual" her face scrunches up a little as she lets out a yawn

"It's been a long few weeks, things will calm down soon"

"After the wedding I suppose"

"How are you feeling about that?" the concern is evident in Elena's voice

"I think I'm okay with it." The words are out of Caroline's mouth before she even realizes it. After taking a second to pause, she realizes that she believes the words though, these words that don't quite feel like her own. "I won't lie and say I'm all of a sudden thrilled by the prospect, but he's a good man and I think the village needs this. I think we all need a celebration to… reset"

Elena smiles "good. That is good, I am so happy for you Caroline"

"I suppose that is the bright side of all this rushing. We both get to be happy for each other… at the same time"

Elena's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes and neither does Caroline's, but they're both happy… or close enough.

XXX

Caroline makes the decision to spend the morning at home, it dawns on her that she and Tyler will have to move into their own home very soon. If she knows Tyler at all she realizes he is probably about a hundred steps ahead of her in that department. It's a strange feeling of nostalgia walking around her house before anyone is awake. She just takes a few moments to remember the good memories she's had in this little wooden palace of sorts.

"I remember when you were six" her mother's voice startles her a little "you tried to slide down the bannister and fell half way, you rolled down at least seven steps, lost a tooth and jumped right back up afterwards"

Caroline laughs a little "I suppose I haven't really changed all that much then have I?"

"Not as much as you might think, I know I still see you as that little six year old with her wild curls and bloody smile"

"Maybe I'll slide down the bannister in my wedding dress" it feels like the words should be bitter, it feels like her brows should be crinkled in resentment, but they aren't and her voice sounds genuine, light, as though she is joking lightheartedly and she feels like she means the words, so that must be what she meant.

Her mother laughs, "I wanted to talk to you about that actually, it's part of the reason I convinced your father to let Elena go this morning. I was hoping we could have a few moments together" she reaches her hand up and strokes Caroline's hair lightly "I have something I want to show you"

"Father is not here?"

"No, he is… working" Caroline simply nods, not particularly caring where her father is.

Elizabeth grabs her daughter's hand and leads her slowly into the master bedroom

"I don't think I've been in here since I was a kid" she smiles looking around, stroking her fingers gently over the fur blanket

"Close your eyes" Elizabeth says as she bends down to an ornately carved wooden chest sitting at the end of the bed

"Why?"

"I know it isn't your strong suit Caroline, but just do as I say this once?"

Caroline laughs a little and places her hand over her eyes, waiting for a few moments listening to the sounds of rustling fabric and then her mother's voice

"okay, open"

Caroline inhales sharply; looking at her mother holding the most intricately embroidered white gown she's ever seen "mother is this-"

"My wedding dress" she smiles "and I'm hoping… your wedding dress"

Caroline can feel tears start to well up in her eyes as she gently reaches forward and touches the delicate material. It isn't the course wool or durable cloth she's used to, it's soft, delicate, and completely impractical. But it's her mother's wedding dress "what about Elena? She's the oldest she should really-"

"You are getting married first Caroline, I want you to have it. You know Elena, she will be happy to have a new one made"

Caroline takes the dress into her hands and immediately lays it out on the bed, pulling her mom into a tight hug "I love you mom"

"I love you too Caroline, so much"

And suddenly guilt washes over her. Guilt that she was planning to run away, guilt that she was going to abandon everyone, guilt that she had been so selfish. She knows why she was doing it, she was in love… was? Yes, she supposes it is past tense. It's time for her to let Klaus go. Something twists wrongly in her gut at the thought but she knows that it's what she has to do. Every thought in her mind is screaming at her to let him go, so she must want to let him go.

She should let him go. She should marry Tyler. That's what she wants to do; it's what will make everyone happy. It's what she wants. Really, it is. She keeps repeating this over and over in her mind until it makes sense, but she still can't stop the strange tugging feeling in her chest.

XXX

"You should really be getting home" Stefan smiles into Elena's hair, trying to bring himself to let her go

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" she teases, turning around with his arms still around her so she is face to face with him

"Never. I just don't want you to be late for breakfast. Besides… in a little more than a moon cycle this will be your home, so surely we can wait"

Elena smiles, pressing her lips gently to his cheek, she is still dreading what their marriage will mean for her, what will be expected of her, but she has to admit that over the last few weeks she has realized the importance of keeping the ones you love close, of not wasting time. "You know as well as I do that you will be moving in with me and not the other way around"

Stefan hums "I like to think of it as though we will live in both places, I will still be here most days for work and with your parents in the palace I feel like we might _accidentally_ fall asleep here every now and then"

"Is Damon really any better than my parents?" Elena whispers, careful not to let the Salvatore in the other room hear her

"No" Stefan admits "but he does stay out later"

"Do you think he will ever stop hating me?" she is still whispering

"I don't think he ever started hating you, not really"

"You overestimate him"

"No, I just know him very well. He hates that he can't be with you, but he doesn't hate you. Just give him some time"

"Somehow I feel like the wedding isn't going to help him come around"

Stefan's brow furrows a little "Are you upset that we are getting married?"

Elena raises her hand to his cheek and looks into his eyes "of course not. I would be married to you tomorrow if we could. I am just trying to be sensitive to what he is going through"

"And I love you for that, really I do, I love how compassionate you are, but honestly… you know how much I appreciate you telling me what happened between you and my brother and you know that I have forgiven you, but… it might help if we could not talk about it"

"Of course, I'm sorry. I am so so sorry, I know how hard it was to hear all of this I shouldn't keep bringing it up" Elena sighs "I don't deserve you" she fits her head onto his chest and his hand comes up to stroke her hair

"I will always love you Elena, no matter what. I will always love you"

The words should comfort her, they should make her feel better, except that she can't help think maybe love shouldn't be _that_ unconditional. Elena shakes her head, determined to make it so that he never has to forgive her for something this big again. Because she wants to marry him. She doesn't know much, but she does know that.

XXX

It is late evening, Caroline and Bonnie are sitting in the Bennett's kitchen with steaming clay mugs of tea grasped in their hands "wait, so you are teaching magic to Kol Mikaelson?"

"I am or I don't know, I was. I haven't seen or heard from him in weeks. I know that it was bad what happened but-"

"But that isn't an excuse for him to ignore you completely" Caroline sighs "yeah, that's a thought I can relate to"

Bonnie raises an eyebrow "you still haven't heard from Klaus?" she asks and Caroline's eyes cast downward in a clear 'no' "that's so much worse. I mean Kol and I we barely-"

Caroline raises an eyebrow "Were you… like… with Kol?"

"I wouldn't say I was with him in the same way that you were with Niklaus, it wasn't spoken, there were no decelerations of love or plans to run away, but we cared for each other and we both knew it. We snuck out after sunset as it appears everyone has been the past months, perhaps it was not what I thought it was"

"Well even if you make those plans it still might not be what you think it is" Caroline says slightly bitterly

"I'm so sorry Care-"

"Honestly, don't be. I'm glad this happened. I mean honestly what was I thinking? Running away? Leaving everyone behind for a man I barely knew, a man who clearly did not care for me as I did him. I think this is for the best. I will be happy with Tyler and I will be here with you and Elena and we will all raise our children together and in the years to come we will laugh as our daughters almost make the same failings in judgment that we did"

"hmmm so we will all create a pact to keep our children away from anyone named Mikaelson"

"We shouldn't have to keep them away if the family just stays in their home for the rest of eternity as it appears is their plan"

"Actually that isn't quite our plan, darling," a voice drawls loudly from outside the door and both girls look up at each other in shock, recognizing the voice.

Bonnie scrambles out of her chair at a million miles an hour, racing towards the door and leaving Caroline to think 'so much for the pact'

Caroline remains sitting, hoping to give Bonnie a few minuets with Kol alone. Perhaps he is different from his brother. Caroline shakes her head, unaware of when she became so bitter against Klaus.

Bonnie isn't sure whether she wants to hug Kol or punch him when she first lays eyes on him, but just like every stupid woman who has ever loved a stupid man her first instinct wins out and she wraps her arms around him "you had me so worried"

"You were worried about me?" his voice is genuine for a second and he can feel his arm wrap around her, holding her tight. He hates the part of himself that still wants to love her. That part of him is weak. That part of him is being just like the rest of his family, hiding in their home and in the shadows, acting as though what any of these pathetic villagers think about them matters, acting as though they still belong in this ridiculous village.

Kol grits his teeth and peels himself away from Bonnie "you really shouldn't have been worried about me my dear, but you should be worried about your little friend in there"

Bonnie blinks in shock "what do you-" suddenly her voice cuts out and all she can see is his eyes. She feels trapped inside of them, and not in the dreamy 'can't escape your gaze' young love kind of way that she felt before. This is scary, paralyzing and then he is speaking and his words are not comforting.

Bonnie walks back into the house; her eyes focused on Caroline "he wants to talk to you"

"Me? Why? I barely know him"

"Ouch, that hurts Caroline, I thought we rather hit it off" Kol says, a smirk on his face as he stands just outside of the open door. She can't help but think how different his smirk looks from the mischievous, lopsided grin she remembers him wearing by the lake. There's something in his eyes too, they look cold, dead, and somehow familiar

"Go outside with him Caroline, it's about Niklaus" Bonnie's voice is monotone and her eyes stare forward blankly and Caroline realizes that the thought of the message being about Niklaus actually makes her want to go outside and talk to Kol even less.

"I have no interest in hearing about Klaus. I have let him go"

"Bonnie" Kol growls

"Caroline please, just go talk to him" her friend is practically begging and she shakes her head

"Fine" she grits out, standing to meet him. The moment her foot passes over the threshold Kol has her upper arm in a crushing grip and he is clearly not letting go any time soon. She looks up at him in surprise, even more shocked when he turns to Bonnie

"Stay inside until the sun comes up" he murmurs slowly "lock your doors, do not invite anyone in. Be safe, my dear" there's a ghost of a smile on his face and then Caroline is yelling for Bonnie to help her but her friend just watches her with glazed eyes as she shuts the door.

"What did you do to her?"

"Same thing my brother did to you last night, princess" he pulls her arm and she trails behind him reluctantly

"What do you mean last night? I haven't seen your brother in weeks, you've gone insane!"

"Of course I have. We all have, the whole bloody family. Unfortunately I am the only one who realizes that. But I know exactly how to make my brother realize it as well" and then the dark smirk is back and a strange chill is going down her spine

"Kol" she says carefully as they come to a stop "what are we doing at your home?"

"Shhh" he says calmly, moving to stand behind her so that his hand strokes her hair softly, never letting go of her arm, keeping her in place "think of this as a sacrifice, Caroline. Once this is over we will be able to leave, we will move on and then everyone you love will be safe from the monsters we have become"

"What are you talking about?"

"My brother just can't seem to let you go, it has become quite inconvenient for me, but I think I know how to make him never want to see this tragic little village again-"

"Caroline?" a new voice joins their conversation, cutting off Kol's confusing words. Klaus says her name like it is a curse and a prayer at the same time and she can feel Kol smile wickedly into her hair

"Ah the guest of honour arrives. Welcome to the party Nik"

"Kol what are you doing? I took care of this last night. Let her go"

"But that's just it brother. You can't let her go. So allow me to help you"

Klaus flashes forward impossibly quickly and Kol swings out of the way, taking Caroline's whole body with him as he does "don't worry brother. You will thank me for this, in a decade or so"

And then the briefest flash of pain goes through Kol's eyes; he pushes it away, replacing it with a wicked grin that would stay on his face for centuries to come. His hand moves out of Caroline's hair and onto her neck.

Caroline takes a breath in, but before she can let it out in a scream and before Klaus can flash forward again…

 _Snap. Crack. Pop._

 _And everything goes black._


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello again, I'm glad to see that everyone appears to be at the least intrigued with what's to come next and I hope it stays that way, I will warn that I plan to spend a couple of chapters exploring this transition so hopefully that's of interest to you, but if not it won't be long before we are moving on from our little viking village. But who could becoming with us? ;)**

Chapter 10

Light is the first thing that Caroline is aware of, and she is aware of it in a way that she never has been before. It's painful; it feels like the sun is rising directly into her eyes. On top of that she can hear several arguing voices, each shrill scold and low toned growl feels like a crack of thunder going through her brain and she groans a little in pain.

Her head is still pounding and before her eyes can even open she can feel something in the air shift, the energy changes, the voices stop and everything is still. She groans again and slowly starts to peel her eyes open, hand flying to her head as her lungs fight to gasp in giant gulps of air.

"What the bloody hell?" the voice is feminine, young and familiar but Caroline can't quite place it until she takes in her surroundings and Rebekah Mikaelson is standing right over top of her

"Rebekah? What am I doing here?" she asks in confusion, looking around expecting to see the whole family standing in this small bedroom, surprised to find it empty but for the two of them "I thought I heard voices, people were fighting-"

Before Caroline can even finish her sentence several loud footsteps fight and push each other up the stairs. She cries out at the sound and cradles her head in both hands until one voice cuts through all of the clamoring

"Stand back" there is a whoosh and several loud thuds that don't do anything to alleviate the pain in Caroline's head

"What is happening mother?" Rebekah asks before the door even opens

"Leave us Rebekah" Esther says, as the door swings open with too much force, magically propelled into the wall behind it. It takes everything in Caroline to open her eyes again and meet Esther's gaze as Rebekah slowly slinks out of the room

"I don't see why you must kick me out, everyone in this house will hear every word you say anyway" Caroline raises an eyebrow at that and Esther merely shakes her head,

"Send Elijah and your father to hunt. Make Kol stay inside and come get me the instant Niklaus returns" Rebekah nods her head and Caroline perks up a little at the mention of Klaus' name but before any words can leave her mouth Esther is shutting the door behind her daughter and Caroline realizes there are more pressing questions to be asked.

"What… what is happening to me?" Caroline whispers

Esther sighs, closing her eyes for a moment before fixing the girl in front of her with a sad smile. She reaches forward gently, holding her hand out. Caroline swallows hard, removing her hand from rubbing circles on her temple she places it lightly into Esther's and watches the blood drain from the older woman's face

"I am so sorry child, this was never my intention"

"What was never your intention? What is happening?" Caroline's voice is angrier than she expected, coming out on a low growl as she nearly crushes Esther's hand in her own. She pulls back immediately when she hears the pained wince come from the woman in front of her and stares at her hand, unaware there was that much strength inside of it "what is happening to me?" she asks again on an almost silent whisper

Esther raises her almost injured hand and slowly wipes away the tear that rolls down Caroline's cheek "I cannot express how sorry I am that this has happened to you, it is my fault in every way, Kol could not control himself after what I made him"

"Please, Esther, my brain feels like it is pounding out of my head and I am quite convinced there is sandpaper in my throat can you just tell me plainly what is going on here?"

"You are dead" Esther says bluntly, taking the girl's request to heart

Caroline laughs, "I certainly feel like it"

"Caroline I apologize but I am quite serious. Last night you were killed and for some reason you have been revived in the same way my children have. I was unaware the spell could be replicated and I need you to tell me what happened that brought you back in this way"

"I don't understand anything you are saying. What happened to your children? Is that why you have all been locked in the house?"

"Caroline I need you to focus. What happened?"

"I… I don't remember. I remember talking to Bonnie and then Kol was there and Bonnie started acting so strange and she was telling me to go outside and then I was with Kol and- oh my god. Oh my god your son killed me! He- he snapped my neck like it was a twig how was he so strong? How could he do this to me?"

"So you don't remember anything helpful then," Esther says standing up, clearly upset. She shakes her head "I am sorry that this has happened to you, but we are finished speaking now. I do wish I could give you the opportunity to say goodbye to your family, but you must understand that no one can know about any of this"

"What do you mean say goodbye? I'm fine, sure I feel a little sick but whatever happened I'm ok"

"I am afraid you are not, but you will be before too long I promise. The pain will likely worsen within the hour but the whole process should not take longer than sundown" Esther's smile is sad and genuine and full of pity

"What process?"

"Dying"

XXX

The feeling of his teeth sinking into actual human flesh instead of grizzled fur is a sense of euphoria that Klaus doesn't think he will ever be able to describe, he didn't truly think that he would be able to push the vision of Caroline's limp body falling to the ground from his mind, but for the few fleeting minuets that his teeth sink into this village girl's flesh he doesn't see broken pale skin falling onto soft white snow, he doesn't see wide blue eyes staring lifelessly into the distance, he doesn't even see his own hand tearing one of the more useless organs from his brother's body. All he sees is red. All he feels is red. It is fast and hot and completely all consuming.

Until it ends

And he watches broken pale skin fall onto soft white snow. The irony is not lost on his tightly clenched heart.

Klaus falls to his knees beside this girl that he does not know, this girl that he prays is not dead. He never meant to kill her, he just needed a distraction; what has he done? Before guilt and tears can take over a different feeling seems to settle itself into his bones

Anger

This is not his fault; he is not responsible for this girl's death. Kol is. Kol has killed two women on this night.

Klaus doesn't quite believe his own accusatory thoughts, but he does finds that between the anger in his gut and the aching despair in his chest he doesn't have any room for guilt to seep in.

"Niklaus what have you done" the voice is soft, high, afraid

"Go home Rebekah. I do not wish to speak of it"

Rebekah shakes her head, looking down at the lifeless body of a girl she once knew. Not well mind you, but she had seen her around, knew of her family. In this moment she realizes how right Kol is, not in his actions but in his belief that they must leave. This village is not big enough for them. They will destroy everyone they care for if they stay.

Rebekah tears her eyes away from the carnage, trying to ignore the way her own fangs slip free at the sight of fresh blood. She removes the thick fur coat she is wearing and throws it at her brother. She knows it will be tight but she can't stand to stare at him so completely covered in blood. She has a reason for being here after all. She ran out the second her mother banished her from the room. "Caroline didn't die"

Before she can finish her sentence Rebekah finds her self several feet off the ground, her brother's hand wrapped tightly around her throat in anger "do not lie to me, I saw her. This is not a game, it is not a joke and it is not funny," he growls, practically noshing his teeth at her and Rebekah wants to cry. She wants to cry in mourning for her brother, the man who would have never even thought to raise a hand to her, this man in front of her wears Nik's face but something has twisted inside of him beyond even their mother's curse. His temper is worse than ever, he is angry and territorial and always growling at her over something.

She manages to grab the upper hand and twists his wrist fully back, freeing herself from his grasp "you have to believe me when I tell you that she is not dead, but if you don't go back to that house right now she will be soon" Rebekah pauses, shaking her head at her brother "I don't know what you did Niklaus, but I do not think this is going to be the blessing you think it is"

"I didn't do anything" he grits out defensively and Rebekah casts her gaze to the dead girl at his feet, an unspoken challenge hanging in the air

"Mother is planning something, I know it. If you care for this girl-" Rebekah's sentence trails off into the cold air and falls only on the ears of the dead, because her brother is already long gone.

XXX

Klaus nearly tears the front door off its hinges as he speeds into his family home "where is she" he throws Kol up against the nearest wall, cracking the wood and his brother's spine on impact

"Drop him, Niklaus" Esther's voice cuts through his growling

"I should tear his heart from his chest and bury him in a shallow grave" he spits

"Oh it isn't my shallow grave you should be worrying about, brother" Kol's voice is entirely too calm, his mouth curving into a subtle smirk

"What is he talking about mother?"

"Niklaus I need you to understand that this is for the best" his mother's voice is calm and soothing, he recognizes the tone as the same one she always uses to convince her children to forgive their father.

"What. Did. You. Do"

"Nothing. Which is exactly what you will do"

Klaus can feel the hand that has been holding his heart in a crushing grip since the moment Kol snapped Caroline's neck slowly start to loosen. He releases his brother and casts his gazes upstairs "so it's true? She- she's alive?"

"She is _not_ alive" Esther says calmly "she is dead, your brother killed her because none of you can control yourselves" her voice rises in anger and Klaus steps forward threateningly, fighting against every urge inside that is screaming at him to break every bone in his mother's body until she lets him see Caroline.

He resists that urge, turning on his heel to flash up the stairs; he can hear her slow heartbeat pulse and it sends his racing as he reaches for the door knob, his hand hitting a hard, invisible wall before he can reach it "what is the meaning of this" he growls, beating his fist against the wall

"Klaus?" her voice is raspy and weak, but it is undeniably her. Almost against his will Klaus feels his hand press against the wall that separates them

"Caroline" his voice is almost as broken as hers despite being in perfect health. He can hear his mother reach the top of the stairs and he turns around

"What is happening to her?" Klaus wants to be angry, he knows that deep down he is, but he wants answers more than anything else. He wants this bloody wall down.

"She is transitioning"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if she drinks human blood as you all did she will be exactly as you and your siblings are"

"And if she doesn't?"

"She will die"

Klaus' eyes widen and his brow furrows "then why the hell is she sitting behind a magical barrier? Take it down! I will go find her a-"

"A villager?" Esther cuts him off "A person for her to drain of blood is that what you were going to say? Is that truly what you want for her? This woman you claim to love. This girl whose parents practically created our village. You want to bring her a citizen to murder just so that she can live forever with the same curse you must all bear"

Klaus' jaw tightens "you speak as though you were not the one who cursed us in the first place"

"And you speak as though it wasn't your reckless actions that forced my hand!"

"I never asked Henrik to follow me into those woods"

"But he did. He followed you and he died because of this girl and now you want someone else's child to die for her. I will not allow it!"

A million separate plans and schemes fly through Klaus' brain at his mother's words, perhaps he should feel bad for what he is about to do, but he simply doesn't.

"At least let me see her one more time. Please mother, let me say goodbye"

Esther's eyes soften "I am sorry son that is a risk I cannot take"

"You can keep the barrier up" he speaks without hesitation "my blood will not turn her, it cannot. Just release the barrier long enough for me to enter and then restore it. Please. Even if this is my fault, she is dying because of what you did. If you do not feel that you owe me anything, you owe it to her. To her mother. Don't let her die alone"

Esther's head nods slowly, she is lost for words, she wants to defend herself, to speak sense to her son but he does have a point and so she lowers the barrier. Her heart is not stone, after all. Not yet, anyway.

The wall is back up the second that Klaus enters Rebekah's bedroom, but none of that matters because he can feel his arms wrap around Caroline, his hand strokes her hair slowly as she buries her head in his shoulder and sobs

"Shh, shh it will be okay sweetheart, I promise. It will be okay"

"I heard everything" she tries to keep her voice calm, but how can she "it won't be okay. Nothing is okay"

"Do you trust me?" he asks carefully"

"yes but-"

"I love you" he says slowly, lifting his finger to his lips in a gesture for her to remain silent as he slowly removes the borrowed fur coat, dropping it to the ground and revealing the white shirt underneath, stained deeply with fresh not yet dried blood. Human blood.

Caroline shakes her head violently, tears falling from her cheeks as she fights the pricking in her gums "no I can't. I- I can't"

"It only takes a drop" he says on a barely audible whisper, slowly dipping his hand into the fresh red blood, watching Caroline fight against her own body.

Caroline can feel her body tense as she watches the blood, sees it seep into Klaus' skin. She watches his hand intently, gritting her teeth so hard she thinks they might burst out of her skull. She can't drink blood. Can she?

Rational thoughts and moral debates fly out of her mind in an instant as Klaus moves closer to her, running his blood stained thumb over her mouth.

Suddenly nothing else exists. The scent hits her nose, her entire body contracts, and her tongue darts out to lick her lips. "more" she half moans, half growls. Caroline locks her eyes on Klaus' bloody shirt and she launches forward, pinning him to the ground, licking the blood from his shirt in an animalistic frenzy

"easy, easy love, believe me I have thought of you in this position many times before, but now is not the time"

When her eyes meet his they are dark and veins extend beneath them. She growls at his attempt to push her away, fangs dropping from her gums and he knows in that moment that he did the right thing. He did what he had to do.

Because look at her. She is Beautiful. She is frenzied and wild and _free._ She is a predator, a hunter. She is going to live forever and he is going to have her forever and that simply isn't a decision he will ever be able to regret.

 _The journey is just beginning, but I will break in at this point in the story to confirm that despite everything that will happen in the millennia to follow this moment, it does remain true that this is one of the very few actions that Niklaus never once, not even for a second, regrets._

 _Has my presence jarred you, dear readers? Perhaps we have come so far that you nearly forgot how old of a tale this is. How everything that you read has already come to be and passed a thousand years ago. I wish that I could tell you this is the end of everyone's pain and suffering, but unfortunately, it is only the beginning…_


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"How could you do this to me?" Caroline asks quietly, her eyes staring straight forward. It's been hours since her transition, his mother has already exhausted every horrible thing she could think to say to him before storming off to find his father and now apparently it's Caroline's turn to lay into him.

"I won't apologize for refusing to let you die" he grits out

A low growl builds in Caroline's throat, she isn't used to feeling so much anger, but it's the only thing her mind can focus on "then maybe you should apologize for ignoring me for weeks and erasing my memories to force me to marry someone against my will just so you didn't have to deal with me anymore!"

"I was trying to protect you!"

"Well that worked out really well" she scoffs, pulling her arm away when Klaus tries to reach for her hand

"Well I'm sorry, maybe I should've just let you die then" he bites back

Caroline fixes him with a steely gaze, unswayed by his emotional outbursts "where did the blood on your shirt come from?"

"You mean the blood you practically tore my shirt off to get to?" he smirks

"I never asked to be like this!"

"Neither did I!" Caroline pauses, eyebrows knitting together "none of us asked for this, our parents did it for our protection" Klaus reaches for her hand, lowering his voice "and they were right. No one can hurt us anymore, no one can tell us what to do"

Caroline pulls her hand away and shakes her head, tears starting to prick in her eyes "that isn't true" and all of a sudden salt water is absolutely flooding down her face so quickly that she can barely handle it and she has no idea why "you hurt me, you told me what to do!"

Klaus looks away ashamed, "I was trying to protect you" he repeats

"You keep saying that!" she shifts from hysterically upset to hysterically angry in an instant "you were the only one who didn't think I needed to be protected! You were the only one who trusted me, who knew I could handle myself!"

"You could Caroline, you could handle yourself. The world was a different place when we first met. No one can protect themselves against what we are now. No matter how strong a mouse is it can't fight off a mountain lion"

"So now I'm a mouse?"

"No, not anymore. Don't you see, this doesn't have to be a bad thing. It doesn't have to change anything, we can still go back to the old world, and now we can do it however we want"

"I can't leave my family, my friends…"

"You were ready to leave them before"

Caroline narrows her eyes "yes well when you don't speak to a person for weeks on end sometimes circumstances change"

Klaus winces a little at that "staying away from you was the hardest thing I have ever had to do Caroline, but surely now that you've seen, now that know… you can't hate me for trying to spare you from all of this"

Caroline softens a little at his pleading eyes and broken voice "I suppose not" she admonishes "but I can blame you for thinking that I needed to be spared."

"This is not something you would have ever chosen Caroline-"

"But you could have at least given me that choice! Or I don't know, an explanation as to why we couldn't be together, anything. Anything except for what you did to me. Klaus, you took my choice away. Do you understand that? That is the entire reason I was running away with you in the first place, because my family was taking my choice away!"

"I'm sorry, Caroline. Truly I am, I… I thought that it was for the best, I just wanted you to be happy"

"If you wanted me to be happy you never would have sent me away. You are what makes me happy, Klaus" Caroline hates how vulnerable she is, she hates the feelings that choke her and the words that tumble from her mouth. She was planning on being mad at him for at least another week before admitting anything like this! It's like every bit of control she has over her emotions is completely gone.

It takes a few seconds for Klaus to pick his jaw up off the floor after her words, but when he does he reaches one last time for the hand that she keeps pulling away, successfully gripping it in his own he places a gentle kiss against her skin and holds it to his heart "I promise that I will never do anything to hurt you again. You are everything I want in this world, I will go where you tell me to go, I will do as you tell me to do, I promise. Being able to make you happy is the greatest thing I will ever do in this eternity we have been given. You are my sun, Caroline Forbes"

Caroline fights every urge inside of her, refusing to lean forward and kiss him. She is still mad so she simply sniffs in response, unable to stop a small smile from gracing her face

"So am I forgiven?" he presses more gentle kisses to her hand, slowly starting to work up her arm when she abruptly pulls her arms away

"Not quite yet, but we have y'know, forever, so try me again in a couple of days" Caroline shrugs with a smirk, standing up to go back to the room she woke up in, desperately in need of a nap.

XXX

Esther is careful to avoid houses as she walks into the West wood, thinking for the first time that it might be nice to have some of the super speed and enhanced senses that she bestowed upon her husband and children. She shakes her head, regretting the thought the moment it enters her mind. How could this all have gone so wrong? She only wanted to protect her family. She simply couldn't bear to lose another child but this… she never expected this. And now it has grown, expanded beyond her family. She has to figure out what it was that caused Caroline to turn as well, she has to stop this disease from spreading.

Esther spins around as she hears the pained cry of an animal and her heart tightens a little at the site of her husband and eldest son with blood dripping down their chins "mother?" Elijah asks in surprise, wiping the blood form his mouth "what are you doing here? It is not safe"

"I created the world's most dangerous predators, I no longer fear creatures of the woods"

"Why have you come?" Mikael asks in a gruff tone, kicking the now dead animal aside "I told you Elijah and I would manage the repercussion of Kol's indiscretion once the sun goes down"

"That will no longer be necessary" she says on an even tone "Caroline has awoken"

"Have you taken her to a healer?" Elijah asks quickly, concern in his voice "I really thought there was no pulse, she must be deeply injured if she survived"

"She did not survive"

"But you just said-"

"The girl is like us now" Mikael breaks in, understanding immediately "how did this happen?"

"I do not know, but she awoke and I recognized the signs of the spell. I tried to get her to tell me, but she does not know either."

"How could you let her complete the transition?!" he growls at his wife, gripping her shoulders tightly. Mikael has never been a calm man, but his rage has been particularly easy to set off since transitioning.

"Do you think I wanted this" Esther holds her ground despite the pain in her shoulders "I caught her before she could drink human blood and did everything in my power to stop the transition! Niklaus snuck the blood in-"

"Of course, that useless boy! Why can he never do as he is told, that child will be the downfall of this family"

"You cannot blame Niklaus for saving the life of the woman he loves" Elijah moves to pull his father back from his mother

"Do not start with me Elijah. I understand that Kol wrongfully assumed your brother capable of love and started all of this in some childish attempt to escape this village, but your brother has made a grave mistake today and we will all face the consequences of his childishness"

"Stop your bickering, I came here to ask one of you to procure more lapis lazuli. We will make Caroline a ring and move forward"

"You want to give this girl the power to leave on her own? How could you be so foolish?"

Esther holds up her hand to silence her husband "you will retrieve the stone and we will all discuss our plan at home. Elijah come with me. If anyone can speak sense into your brother it is you, gods forbid he gets some ridiculous ideas about running away on his own again"

XXX

Caroline hears the front door close loudly enough that it stirs her awake, the voices from downstairs echoing clearly in her head

"I am sorry Niklaus" she hears a voice she does not recognize speak "our brother has always struggled with impulse control, but I never imagined-"

"Everyone in this house can hear you Elijah" a voice she recognizes as Kol's breaks in "and for the record I would snap every neck in this village if it got me out of this blasted house"

"Shut your trap Kol, haven't you done enough?" Rebekah's voice joins the chorus

"Niklaus should be thanking me"

There's a brief moment of silence and then the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Caroline isn't thinking when she runs down the stairs to see who it was and it isn't until she is standing over Kol's limp body that she realizes how quickly she moved

"H-how did I do that?"

"Not all of what we are now is bad, Caroline" Rebekah says with a kind smile "I cannot wait until we can go outside again, I will show you all of the amazing things we can do now!"

Caroline tries to manage a smile, but luckily she is saved before having to respond "I am Elijah" the new man says, reaching out his hand "I regret the circumstances, but it is good to meet you"

She reaches for his hand and nods "Caroline, it is nice to meet you."

Just as Klaus is about to break in the door opens again and their mother walks in. Caroline shrinks back a few feet as Klaus moves forward, pushing her behind him

"Calm down Niklaus, it is not as if I could injure the girl anymore even if I wanted to. The damage has been done now, I have no ill wishes towards Caroline" she catches Caroline's eye "you may not believe me child, but I was trying to save you."

"She doesn't need to be saved" he growls

"Yeah, you're really convincing us all of that with your mountain lion-about-to-pounce posture right now" Kol scoffs

Before Klaus can- very predictably- relieve him of an organ or 2 Elijah's hands are holding him back "whatever he has done that is still our brother"

"He is not-"

"Ahh" Caroline winces, feeling her flesh sear as Mikael opens the door, purposefully leaving it wide open so that sunlight illuminates the entire room. He doesn't even spare her a glance as he roughly shoves a cloth bag at his wife

"It's the sun, it will burn you" Klaus says slowly, shifting her into a protected area of the house "which my father well knows" he glowers

"So predictable Niklaus, always expecting someone else to accommodate your _mistakes_ " Mikael spits

"The sun will not be a problem for long" Esther sighs, trying to calm the feuding men down. She picks up a delicate silver ring with a blue stone embedded in it, holding the ring up to the sunlight she says a simple chant and passes the piece of jewelry to Caroline "there, now you may walk among the living"

Caroline accepts the ring, slipping it easily onto her index finger she tests it out, slowly extending her hand into the bright light, smiling a little when there is no burning sensation "I do not understand. If you can walk in the day then why have you remained inside all this time? Don't these rings mean that nothing has to change?"

"Everything has changed" Esther says cryptically

"There are other reasons we remain indoors" Rebekah adds shyly, though she does not elaborate when she sees Caroline's raised eyebrow

"I need to go home" Caroline says suddenly "my parents… they will be so worried"

"Your parents will believe the same thing that the rest of the village will" Esther says slowly, rationally "that you ran away into the woods so you did not have to get married. No one will be too surprised, it is a believable story"

"What? No, I'm not running away, not anymore-"

"Yes you are" Esther says firmly "your parents will turn the village upside down looking for you and once they believe you are truly gone and give up- the night after what would have been your wedding- we will burn our home to the ground and the village will assume we perished with it. Then we all begin anew in the old world"

Caroline shakes her head "no, please no. You have to at least let me say goodbye, please my family they…"

"Are an inconvenience" Mikael breaks in "as are you. Be grateful we are giving you this option, girl. It was not my first choice on what to do with you"

"Father stop this!" everyone in the room is surprised to hear Rebekah speak up "we are not children anymore, stop chastising us like we stole a sweet roll or got mud on our clothes. Our brother _killed_ this girl. He took everything from her just like you took everything from us and you can still stand there and be so cruel?"

"I gave you a gift!"

"You cursed us!"

Mikael's eyes narrow and he shakes his head "you have always been spoiled and ungrateful, Rebekah. All of you have. Lazy, spoiled children with no idea what the world outside this village holds! With your reckless hunting and frivolous interests and play fighting." His words are harsh and calculated and Caroline can tell without anyone speaking that he's struck a chord with his children

"Now all of you go to your rooms. I do not wish to see your ungrateful faces anymore this evening. You will not leave this house except to hunt and we will be out of the village before you know it" Mikael pauses, turning his angry gaze towards Klaus. He takes a few steps forward, reaching behind him to grab Caroline's wrist, easily blocking his son's attempt to lash out. Mikael holds her arm so tightly she feels one of the bones pop "this girl is your responsibility now boy" he growls "if you want to play at love and running off into the woods then fine, behave like an idiotic child for all I care, but if this girl exposes us, if she speaks to anyone in this village, if she so much as leaves this house while the sun is up I will rip her heart out of her chest. And unlike your brother, I will not fail" Mikael's threat is heavy as he shoves Caroline away from him, crashing her into Klaus' chest. She winces a little, watching her wrist knit itself back together as Klaus runs a hand softly through her hair. His arms around her are soft and warm, but his eyes, focused on his father are hard and cold.

The Mikaelson siblings slowly start to stream out of the main room, Elijah grabs Kol by the back of his shirt and nods toward Klaus "I will handle him. You and Caroline take my room until we can leave this place" there is an unspoken promise that seems to pass between them, the tiniest glint of hope in both of their eyes

"I don't think so" Rebekah puts her hand on her hips "that would hardly be proper. Caroline and I will share Niklaus and Kol's room. Niklaus take my room. Elijah stay in your own room and Kol you can sleep on the bloody dirt for all any of us care right now"

"Rebekah is propriety really a concern for us anymore?" Klaus asks with an exacerbated sigh. He just wants to be alone with Caroline.

his sister nods her head sadly "If we cease to follow the rules of humanity we are one step closer to truly becoming the monster's our mother believes us to be"

"but-"

"I agree with her" Caroline says slowly "I just…. I want to feel normal, and this is what feels the most normal to me"

Klaus nods, keeping a tight grip on her hand "of course, whatever you want" he does not succeed in hiding the pain in his voice "I will only be down the hall, you will wake me if anything is wrong?" she nods slowly and Klaus is about to try and press his lips against hers when a petulant voice breaks in

"You cannot actually expect me to sleep in the dirt" Kol scoffs

Before Rebekah can respond Caroline has fixed him with a look so cold it surprises even herself, her voice spits like venom "you intended for me to be buried in the dirt, it seems only fitting you should have to sleep there"


	13. Chapter 12

**This is the first time I've ever done a time jump in a chapter so be prepared for that, I just didn't want to drag it out across 2 chapter. Someone in the reviews asked a question about if Klaus is Mikael's son for real in this story and I'm glad that topic was brought up, the answer is in this chapter ;) Also... Mature content ahead ;)**

Chapter 12

"I was so excited when I thought you were going to become a part of our family, you know" Rebekah's voice is soft and vulnerable as it echoes carefully through the dark room

"I know" Caroline says quietly, realizing it probably isn't the right thing to say, but it is the truth. Rebekah was obviously desperate for female companionship.

"I hated you for trying to take my brother away. For running and starting all of this" her voice remains steady

"I know that, too" Caroline sighs "how could you not?"

"Why did you do it?"

"You know why. The entire village heard of my engagement the second my father and Richard Lockwood shook hands"

"Why not tell him you didn't want to marry Tyler?"

"We have more in common than you may think, Rebekah" she responds, staring at the ceiling, noting that even in the pitch black she could still make out the tiny cracks "my father is not a man you say no to" the other girl laughs, startling Caroline a little "why did you stick up for me downstairs if you hate me?"

"I said hated" there is a long pause before Rebekah continues "I thought I was going to gain a sister when you came into my life, instead I almost lost a brother. Niklaus and I have always been close. He…. Protects me from father. I was trying to repay the favor by protecting you. Father would have reacted far worse if Nik had been the one to speak up"

"Thank you" several moments of charged silence pass before Caroline speaks again "and… I'm sorry"

Rebekah lets out a long sigh "I don't hate you anymore. I know we need to stick together. I am sorry for what Kol did, but to be honest I need someone to help me control my brothers. They are not… handling our abilities well"

"Is there a right way to handle something like this?"

"No, but I am sure you can agree that there is a less violent way"

"I do"

"Then I forgive you"

"Goodnight, Rebekah"

"Goodnight, sister"

XXX

Sheila senses Esther approach before she hears the knock on the door and is wary to answer, if Bonnie were home she probably wouldn't have, but as it stands there is nothing the other woman can do to her.

"I assume you have come to seek answers"

Esther's eyes are glued to the floor, guilt written on her face "this… none of this is what I intended, the spell it has-"

"Destroyed the delicate balance of nature and unleashed a plague upon this earth?"

Esther nods slowly "it is worse than that. Kol he… he killed someone, a village girl and she was revived in the same way as my children, I do not understand how though I-"

Sheila curses under her breath "I tried to save that girl from her fate, children should learn to listen better" she pauses, fixing Esther with a steely gaze "as should adults"

"How do you know-"

"Carolina Petrova is my granddaughter's best friend. I knew when you came to ask for my help with the spell that even though I turned you down you would perform it. I knew what it would create. I knew that Kol would snap that poor girl's neck for no reason, I knew that she would awake again and I know a great deal more than this. Rest assured Esther, you should be even more afraid than you already are"

"But how-"

"It was written in the child's leaves"

"But how did the girl transform? How can I be sure it will never happen again?"

"Your children's blood. It has the power to heal but if someone dies with the blood of a transformed creature in their system they will be reborn"

"But how did Caroline-"

"Your children escaped that house every night when they were human, Esther. This spell heightens everything they feel, it was inevitable that Niklaus would find that girl, that he would try to protect her"

"Why did you not warn me?"

"I tried, Esther. I can understand a mother's desire to protect her children, but you have gone too far in this. I tried to tell you there would be consequences"

"I never could have imagined the consequences would be so dark, so utterly unbearable"

"Oh Esther" Sheila speaks quietly, her mouth tensing "the consequences that I speak of have not even yet begun"

Tears start to fall down her face, her heart constricts and her breathing becomes shallow "how do I fix this?"

Sheila shakes her head slowly "you may be given a chance to undo the evil you have created, but that will not happen for many lifetimes"

"I do not understand"

"That much is clear from your actions, Esther. You do not understand anything. When do you plan to leave this village?"

"After the full moon"

Sheila nods, her mouth pulling into a knowing grimace "you have started something you cannot stop or control Esther, this mistake will bring others to light. That which you have fought to hide the longest will be known."

"What does that mean?"  
"It is not for me to tell. My granddaughter will be home soon. It is time for you to leave now. We will not meet again"

"I am sorry"

"Not truly, but you will be"

XXX

The sun rises slowly; Klaus has been watching it for almost an hour now, eyes as open as they have been all night. He hears movement from the hall and slips out of bed quickly, hoping to catch Caroline. Instead he comes face to face with his elder brother

"Good morning, Niklaus"

"That remains to be seen"

"I do not understand your anger brother, it appears to me that Kol's radical actions have worked in your favor"

"I had let her go. She was to be happy, not cursed like us." He sighs "I want to be happy that Caroline is with us now, but… how can I be happy that her choice was taken from her in the same way ours was?"

Elijah shakes his head "respectfully, brother, you had not let her go. And you might be wise not to throw pity parties for those who never asked for one"

"She is not happy"

"She is scared. As we all are. She just wants to feel normal and if our sister can provide that then grant her some space."

"How can I expect her to leave with all of us? With Kol? And… father?"

Elijah sighs "I have no answer for the Kol situation. What he did is unforgivable, but he is our brother and we cannot abandon him. We stick together as one. Mikael on the other hand…" Eljah looks around, lowering his voice carefully "I, for one, do not intend to stay under his rule once we have departed this land"

Klaus' eyes open in shock, a small smile working its way across his face as he nods "then there is good news"

 _One week later_

Klaus looks down at Caroline, her head rested on his lap, they are surrounded by brushed away snow, revealing a tiny patch of still surviving grass underneath. The soft grass she is laying on brings out the green flecks in her blue eyes. It was a full day before she spoke to him again after their fight and a few days more before she let him touch her, but it was worth it. Looking at her now, peacefully staring up at the sky as his hands absentmindedly play with her hair, there is nowhere else he would rather be in the world.

"The sun will be fully set soon. We should really be getting back, tomorrow is a big day" her voice is soft and not at all convincing

"You know, once we return to the old world you will have a choice, you do not have to stay with us-"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" her voice is light and teasing

"Never" he responds seriously "I will love you for every day of the eternity that is set out in front of us, but I do not want you to stay out of fear or obligation"

"I no longer have anything to be afraid of" she says simply, sitting up and crossing her legs so that she is looking into his eyes "and if you do not know by now that I would not leave you then you have not been paying attention" she lifts her hand to his cheek and his covers it almost immediately, sighing contentedly at the moment of privacy and tenderness.

"Well then we do not have to remain with my family. I know I have told you of our plan with Mikael already, but if you do not wish to be around Kol the two of us can go off on our own-"

"I do not condone Kol's actions, but how can I hold a grudge when he has given me an eternity with you? You know that I am coming to see Rebekah as a sister and Elijah is stoic but kind, the sort of older brother I have always wanted. Kol is just… part of the deal" she shrugs with a teasing smile "I am sure that in time, once the painful memories subside I will see him in the same way you do"

"As a pain in the side?"

She laughs "Exactly, how a younger sibling should be viewed"

"Kol is older than you, sweetheart"

"Perhaps in years, but certainly not any other aspect"

Klaus smiles, his hand going back to stroking her hair absentmindedly "so you want to be one of us then? A Mikaelson?"

She smiles "I feel as though I already am. I think it is just part of the deal we appear to have all made with the devil"

Klaus smirks "perhaps, but we could make it official if you like"

"What do you mean?"

"Tonight was meant to be your wedding, correct?"

"Niklaus where… where are you going with this?"

"I think you know" he smiles, raising himself onto one knee. Caroline lifts herself to his level; both knees resting firmly on the grass "Carolina Elizabeth Petrova, will you marry me?"

"Of course I will" she smiles "The moment we get to the old world we can-"

"Why wait. We can do it now-"

"There is no one to marry us" she wrinkles her brow

"We can still say the words" he smiles "just for us. So that we can know before we leave"

Caroline looks up at him, a mischievous smile on her face. She stands and begins walking further into the woods, beckoning him to follow. She curses the winter for the first time, if it were summer she could pluck some wildflowers, but wouldn't that be just so Elena of her?

She walks a few steps further until she is standing in a clearing, looking over the edge of a cliff, watching the sun disappear behind the horizon "do you remember what you told me when you brought me here?"

"I told you not to marry Tyler"

Caroline nods her head slowly "behold my oath that I will take no one as my husband but you" she starts slowly, reaching her hands forward to be joined with his

"Behold my oath that I will take no one as my wife but you" Klaus says the words slowly, reverently, as though he is both shocked and in awe to be saying them.

"I make this promise that I will cherish and dutifully respect"

"I make this promise that I will cherish and faithfully protect" his voice is still shaking, but Caroline's steady hands and warm gaze takeaway every ounce of fear

"So that once bound to you I give my heart"

"So that once bound will no one break apart"

Caroline's voice catches a little "I am yours"

Klaus' voice becomes steady "I am yours"

"So that from this hour until the hour of-"

"Until eternity and without end" Klaus interrupts the traditional words, realizing they do not apply

Caroline smiles, looking up at him, barely noticing the sun disappear from the sky as she repeats "until eternity and without end"

Klaus' lips find Caroline's before she can finish the words and she breathes the final syllables against his skin. She wraps her arms around his neck, moving them up into his hair, moaning as his lips begin to trail down her neck. "I love you," she whispers between kisses, causing Klaus to pause

"How on earth did I manage to make that happen?"

"I do not know, but you should count yourself very, very lucky"

"Believe me, I do" he grins, returning his mouth to her neck, whispering against her skin"I love you more than I have ever thought possible"

The movement of his lips combined with the words sink into her core and Caroline's hands find their way under his shirt, the lean muscles of his stomach contract in surprise as she starts to tear it upwards

"Easy my love, you are treading very close to a point that we cannot return from"

"I don't want to return" she whispers, cheeks flushed as she starts to pull at his trousers "we're married now, why would we ever want to return"

Klaus growls low in his throat, hands flying to the ties of her dress, watching the garment unravel in front of his eyes, revealing her body to him slowly and he has to bite his lip to stop a groan as he hands find their way inside his trousers before pulling them down.

There is a brief moment of virginal uncertainty as they both stand unclothed, bathed in the moonlight, and then everything moves quickly. Klaus fixes his hand in Caroline's hair once again, pulling her mouth into his own as they slowly lower themselves to the ground, idly feeling the sensation of snow on their skin but not the icy cold that they would have felt as humans; it is soft and inviting.

Klaus moves his hands slowly down Caroline's body, watching her careful eyes as he passes her breasts, feeling the gentle curve of her waist in his hands and she begins to groan the closer he gets to her core

"Please, Klaus" she whimpers a little and he cannot help but smile. Everything in him wants to go slow, to savour this moment and watch her unravel beneath him, but the more animalistic side of him has another plan.

He keeps one hand under her right leg and moves the other to cup her cheek, drawing her eyes up to his as he carefully aligns himself with her center, pushing slowly inside.

His movements are so slow that Caroline is afraid she is going to burst. She always imagined she would be terrified on her wedding night, that she would blush and have to wait for her husband to show her what to do, but she had taken action. She had initiated this because she could not wait one moment longer and she is glad she did. As he begins to move inside of her Caroline cannot help but picture two puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly, nothing has ever felt so right in her entire life, nothing has ever _fit_ so well.

Klaus groans quietly as he starts to move more quickly inside of Caroline, _his wife_ he remembers with a smile. She is his and he is hers.

Just as both of them are reaching the apex of pleasure Caroline turns her eyes to see the full moon high in the sky and the sound of a bone breaking echoes through the forest.

 **I hope you enjoyed that, let me know your thoughts in a review if you have a minute, it always inspired me to get chapters out quicker when I can see people are anticipating them otherwise I get kind of discouraged so drop me a line! Any predictions? Things you want to see?**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone, sorry this has been such a long break between updates, but I've been mapping out the plan for this story because let me tell you starting from here there is one HELL of a journey we about to go on. All I'll say is that yes we will be following the Mikaelson's through several different centuries, yes more vampire diaries faves will be popping up in their appropriate times, and no…. this isn't the last you will see of Elena, Stefan, Damon, and Bonnie ;)**

Elijah is the first of the Mikaelsons to hear Caroline's terrified screaming, luckily- or unluckily, he supposes- they are far enough into the woods that no one in the village will have heard her.

The eldest Mikaelson sibling has seen some truly gruesome, horrifying things in his life. He has watched 2 siblings die of very slow moving diseases, seen another bleed out in front of his eyes. He has watched as his father drove a blade into the hearts of his siblings and felt that blade enter his own chest. He has felt the mortifying desire to rip into a human jugular on so many occasions he can no longer count them. He has looked upon the dead body of his favorite brother's lover, knowing that his youngest brother caused her death. He has watched that girl come back to life, listened as his mother tried to kill her again. He has felt the hard hit of his father's hands and whips at every turn in his short life and because of all of this, he knows what pain is.

Elijah Mikaelson is not weak, and he is not naive. But nothing, nothing in this world could have prepared him for this sight. He hardly has time to register the fact that Caroline is naked in the blood-drenched snow, his eyes immediately land on her neck, which is rapidly knitting itself together from a deep scratch. He cannot even ask the question before her haunted eyes catch his and her arm reaches out to point to a spot in the distance.

He knows of the men who turn into wolves. It is not a secret in this village. It is embraced. But he has never seen it, he has spent his whole life avoiding seeing it and now he is staring into the glowing yellow eyes of his brother, feeling a mixture of fear at the beast he is becoming and sorrow for the pain he is obviously enduring.

"What is wrong with him? Is he ok? How-How can this be happening?!" Caroline's hysterical voice breaks Elijah out of his reverie and as he would continue to do for many centuries to come, he finds a way to protect both of the siblings in front of him. He reaches for Caroline's discarded dress, tossing it to her, waiting only a millisecond for her to wrap it loosely around her body before he has her in his arms. A jealous growl escapes Nikalus' lips; it is half-possessive man, half territorial beast and Elijah catches his eye, nodding his head in a silent agreement. I will protect her. You have other things to worry about.

"Elijah" he manages to grit out, barely forming the words past his rapidly fracturing jaw "don't tell-"

"Never" he swears "we will manage this in the morning. Do try to control yourself, Nikilaus"

"That has never been my strong su-ahhh"

Bones crack louder and Elijah knows it is no longer an option to stay. With Caroline safely in his grasp he flashes back to the village almost impossibly quickly- even for him. He pauses a few meters from the house, setting Caroline down and demurely looking away to let her right her dress.

"I do not understand" her soft voice gives Elijah the permission he needs to turn back around and face her

"Neither do I, not fully. Though I have my suspicions" he pauses "Caroline listen to me, we cannot tell anyone. If father finds out-"

"I understand" she nods and then after a brief pause "thank you"

"You are family now, family is important" he looks her up and down to ensure that she is alright "may I ask what the two of you were doing so far into the forbidden woods in the first place?"

Caorline bites her lip, looking down "I think Niklaus would prefer to tell you that story himself. Suffice it to say, I may be even more family than you think"

XXX

To say that Caroline does not sleep that night would be the understatement of the century. She pulls her tired body into Klaus' bed, bitterly noting the meaning of it. Part of her just doesn't want to see Rebekah, doesn't want to deal with questions until she has some answers, but another part of her knows that this is just right. This is where she belongs, wherever he is, and he should be here.

Except he isn't

Because she has apparently married a wolf as well as a creature of the night. Is there something wrong with her? Why couldn't she have just been happy with Tyler? She has always wanted adventure, always wanted to get outside of the ordinary- perhaps all of this is just some giant cosmic joke, to make her fall in love with a man who has adventure written into his DNA and danger carved into his bones.

She lays beneath the soft furs, wishing he was beside her, wishing they hadn't been interrupted, wishing… wishing that she knew he was going to be alright. But she doesn't know anything, and maybe she never will.

Every minute feels like hours, and Caroline isn't sure how she can be expected to sleep after everything has happened so her thoughts drift easily to her family, the family she is apparently just fine leaving behind. Her best friends, her sister, her mother… even her father. He may have forced her hand- well, the first time, the second time was all Kol- but she still loves him.

It is these thoughts combined with a knowledge that there will be no sleep tonight that compels Caroline to drag herself out of bed, pulling a cloak over her body she sneaks quietly out of the house and into the streets. It is late, her parents will be asleep, but she knows of a few people who will not be.

She smiles to herself as she stares up at the window she has been crawling in and out of her entire life, scoffing a little at the tree branches she used to shimmy up and down. Now, one strong jump puts her on the highest branch and she opens the window slowly, cursing quietly when she hits an invisible barrier. Right, she has to be invited in.

A few moments later Elena enters the room, running her fingers through her long, wet hair. She looks up at the sound of tapping on the window and gasps when she sees her sister.

"Caroline I-"

"Shh, I need you to talk very quietly" Caroline says, wincing a little at the glazed over look that fills her sisters eyes at the command. She nods slowly "Are mother and father asleep?"

"Yes" her sister whispers quietly

"I need you to invite me in… if you want" she says, breaking the compulsion

"What are you talking about? Of course I want you to come in. Come in please!" Caroline tests the barrier and slips into the room "oh Caroline, I am so happy you're back" Elena says, wrapping her arms around her sister tightly

"No one can know I was here Elena, I… I am leaving, I just couldn't bring myself to go without saying goodbye"

"What do you mean? You cannot leave! If this is about Tyler do not worry, father knows the mistake he made. If you come home he will be so happy to have you back he will never speak of it again-"

"I am afraid things are more complicated than that now"

"What could be so complicated that you cannot stay here, with me?" Elena's brown eyes are searing into Caroline's soul and she sighs, perhaps this was a mistake. Her sister reaches for her hand "Caroline, what happened? Where have you been? I thought… I thought you were-"

"Dead? I was" she says quietly, regretting it the second the words are out. She catches her sisters gaze "forget I said that" and of course, the other girl does "I love you Elena, you know that right?"

"Of course, as I love you"

"I love you so much and I am doing this for your protection, so please forgive me" Caroline whispers slowly, still not breaking eye contact "you will tell mother and father tomorrow morning that I have run away with the Mikaelsons. They wanted to return to the old world and I wanted to get away from my marriage, so I left with them. You will tell them that you knew but you promised me that you would keep the secret until the day after my wedding. You will tell them that I am happy and in love and that they don't have to worry about me" she pauses "you will not be sad for me, you will know that I am in a better place." She breaks eye contact, feeling sick to her stomach as Elena repeats the words back to her

"Why am I doing this?"

"Because I want you to" she says sadly, bringing up her hand to brush her sister's hair back and closing her eyes to enjoy her final moment with her.

As she feels Elena do the same she disappears, flashing out of the window before the other girl can open her eyes.

Caroline considers going to see Stefan next, she considers warning him to treat her sister like the Queen she is, but that warning is pointless. Either one of the Salvatore brothers would trip over their own shoes to lay the world at Elena's feet. And the very idea of going to speak to Stefan for the reason she actually wants to is too much to bear after the conversation she just had with Elena.

Caroline continues walking through the town square, quietly appreciating the serene simplicity of it in a way she has never been able to before. She isn't really sure where she is going or what her plan is, but her body leads her in a clear direction and then she finds herself standing in front of a house that she knows well, that she used to think of as a second home.

"I am not going to invite you in child, you understand I'm sure" Sheila says quietly, opening the door without Caroline even having to knock

"I understand" she says, casting her gaze downward "truth be told I am not even sure why I am here"  
"I would imagine you have come seeking answers" Caroline nods slowly

"I know how this happened, Klaus' blood it… it healed me and then revived me and gave me back my memories" Caroline pauses "can my blood do that too?" Sheila nods "I never want to do that to someone" Caroline says quietly "I never will"

"Yes you will" Sheila says knowingly "you will see a wounded human and ache to help them, to connect with the part of you that is still human, that will be your curse in this new life, princess. You have always been so bright, it will be hard to resist the darkness you have chosen"

"I never chose this!"

"But you chose him" Sheila says knowingly "you chose a man with anger flowing through his veins and a dark destiny that you cannot even begin to imagine" Sheila pauses "you should have listened to me when I told you to be happy with the Lockwood boy, but I knew you would not"

"I love him" Caroline says quietly, wrapping her arms around her midsection despite being unable to feel the chill in the air "he is not how you describe him. He is not dark and angry. He cares, he loves… we are happy. Despite everything we are happy, and I promise that-"

"Shhh child, do not make promises to me that you cannot keep. I know that you mean the best, I have seen all the ways this may turn out and it is best for the world if you are by his side, but I still wanted to spare you from the pain you will endure in choosing this. I tried, my dear. In the centuries to come, in your darkest moments, when he has twisted and fallen dark and angry, when you no longer recognize him, when you scream to the heavens for relief I want you to remember that I tried to spare you, and this is what you chose".

"I would do it again" Caroline spits angrily "whatever you have "seen", whatever this world has in store for us we will face it together. You are wrong if you think me so weak that I cannot handle what this life will mean. You are wrong if you think that I am naive to the reality of what I am. I know what has happened to me, I know that I am not the same girl I used to be, but I also know that I am still in love with Niklaus. I love him with everything that I am and he loves me with everything that he is. Whatever you think we cannot handle, I promise you we can!"

Sheila smiles a little at Caroline's indignance "your strength will serve you well my child. Allow me to offer you a parting gift, for soon the sun will be rising and you will be gone from this village before my granddaughter wakes"

Caroline narrows her eyes "what is this gift?"

"A warning" she says simply "you are not a Mikaelson. Remember that. You are not as strong as them, you are not immune to their mind compulsion. You have so many weaknesses that they do not" Caroline's eyes widen as Sheila describes in detail all of the things that will harm her and not the "originals" as she has started calling them. After several minuets of excruciating detail she stops and says simply "you may love one of them, you may come to see them as family, but always remember my dear, you are not one of them."

Caroline nods slowly, understanding the warning "why am I so much weaker than them? I do not understand"

Esther does not answer her, instead she continues on a concerned tone "do not let that man drag you down into the dark with him, princess. Pull him up. Always strive to pull him up, it is your role in all of this and you cannot begin to comprehend how much is resting on your shoulders"

And then the door swings shut and Caroline is left standing alone on the doorstep, tired, confused, afraid, and squinting into the first ray of sun that bursts across the village.

On the other side of the door Sheila sighs. She told the girl too much, warnings to stop what is to be is not why she was granted this knowledge. She knows what she must do, what her role in all of this is. Balance. Always to protect the balance. Caroline will be Niklaus' only weakness and now, Sheila must secure control over Caroline's weaknesses.

XXX

Caroline is not prepared for what she sees when she returns to the Mikaelson home. A pit grows in her stomach and stays there as she looks to the sky, noting that the sun is almost fully risen, noting that Klaus has probably returned, and she wasn't there when he arrived. She wasn't there to calm him down, she wasn't there to tell him how much she loves him.

Caroline wooshes forward, her only thought on getting to Klaus as quickly as she can, she does not notice Kol, Rebekah, and Elijah standing outside of the house until Elijah's hand is gripping her forearm with more strength than even she knew he had "do not go in there Caroline. It is not safe"

She looks up at him, betrayal in her eyes "who told him. Who told Mikael!" she demands angrily

"No one" Elijah sighs "he was waiting for us when we returned. He saw everything. When you and Niklaus snuck out he was afraid you were going to speak to your family and he followed. He returned and attacked mother shortly after you left"

"Is she-"

"She is fine" Rebekah breaks in "we all held him off until Nik returned and then his anger turned to him"

"Why are you out here! Why aren't you in there protecting them!"

"Mother locked us out" Rebekah says, tears falling down her face "she told us this was their business and expelled us all from the house with magic"

"Well she didn't expel me" Caroline grits out, pulling against Elijah's grip

 _You are not as strong as them_ Sheila's voice echoes through her mind and Caroline takes a deep breath. _No, but I am angrier_ she thinks, pulling back her knee and connecting it quickly with Elijah's abdomen and before anyone can register what has happened Caroline has thrown open the door of the Mikaelson home and she is beyond the barrier.

She closes the door behind her and the room she has just entered falls immediately silent. It must only be a second but to Caroline it feels like an eternity as she takes in the scene before her. Klaus is standing between his mother and father, his stance is not protective, it is angry and defensive. She tries to connect exactly what he is feeling when his eyes meet hers

"Caroline leave" he growls

"Oh my dear boy, why would you say that" Mikael grins, flashing behind Caroline he grabs her around the waist, positioning her as a shield between him and Klaus "here you are protecting you whore mother, why not add your whore _wife_ to that list" he taunts "I mean really, not coming home until sunrise. How long exactly were you married before she bored of you?"

"Just a hair shorter than you were" Klaus spits

"Lucky for you your bride is unable to bring the shame upon you that mine has. At least her dalliances will not produce a retched little bastard like you" Mikael's tone is sharp and harsh

"I did not-" Caroline begins to speak but Mikael moves his hand to her throat, constricting her airway so only a strangled cry can emerge

"You have said enough wench. Esther, finish the bloody spell" he growls and Esther nods slowly, fear clouding her eyes

"Mother, please, no" Klaus begs, fear in his eyes but Esther merely shakes her head

"I cannot allow you to exist as you are Niklaus, the darkness I have brought upon this earth is enough as it is without my greatest mistake being set loose upon this world" she begins to murmur under her breath in a tongue Caroline does not recognize and then Klaus is on his knees, screaming so loudly he must be waking the entire village.

Caroline fights tooth and nail to escape Mikael but he is stronger than her. Esther walk to the fire and removes a flat stone, pressing it to Klaus' forehead and palms. His screams grow louder and Caroline cries out, tears falling down her face

"Klaus" she says quietly when she feels Mikael's grip loosen as he watches the ritual "Klaus look at me" and he does, dragging his eyes up from the floor "it's ok. You're ok. Look at me, stay with me. Breathe, just breathe" tears continue to fall, but she smiles through them. Looking into his eyes and she can see him relax, see a fraction of the pain leave his eyes and then Esther is silent and he collapses to the floor

"What did you do to him?!" Caroline accuses angrily

"I bound his wolf. You should be thanking me, he cannot hurt you now"

"He would never hurt me" she shouts

"We often think that of the ones we love" Mikael says, his breath tight as his hand constricts Caroline's throat once again "but we are wrong" Esther's gaze fall to the floor

"Let her go" Klaus growls, having woken up, his mother all but forgotten as his anger is turned to the man holding Caroline.

"No" he spits "leave now, alone, without _my_ family and without _her_. No one wants you, boy."

Klaus springs into action, and with the pent up anger of his recently subdued wolf burning brightly inside of him he knocks his mother to the ground, wrapping his hands around her neck tightly

"Klaus stop" Caroline tries to say "this isn't you" she tries to shout, but she can't because Mikael's hand is still around her neck and tightening. If only Mikael hadn't silenced her. If only Mikael hadn't grabbed her. If only she had a voice in this moment. If only she'd been home before sunrise. If only she'd gotten to speak to Klaus before Mikael found him. If only she'd been there.

Everything could be different.

This story could have a very different ending. And middle.

If only Caroline had stayed in bed.

She wouldn't be watching the life slowly leave Esther's eyes. She wouldn't have to watch the dead expression take over his face. She wouldn't have to watch his eyes glaze over into a mask of indifference that she will become intimately familiar with over the years. She wouldn't have to hear Mikael swear to find Klaus and take away everything he cares about. She wouldn't have to hear him say that he is leaving now, that Klaus should watch over his shoulder because there will come a day when he least expects it and Mikael will take everything from him. Just as Klaus took everything from Mikael.

All of that could have been avoided if Caroline had just stayed in bed.

All of this is flying through her brain, but her last clear thought before Mikael twists his wrist and everything goes black is " _maybe Sheila was right_ "


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello, I do know it's been 84 years, but here I am once again! I do have this whole story mapped out- it's going to be a long one- and I will continue to update as I have time, I just can't promise any consistency. It is not abandoned though!**

Chapter 14: The closest he ever came

"What happened?" Elijah demands the second the door closes behind Klaus and Caroline "Niklaus are you all right"

Klaus nods tightly, his eyes darkly clouded over. He looks through Elijah instead of at him, leaning heavily on Caroline as the reality of the last hours sinks in "yes, but I-"

"Mikael killed Esther" Caroline breaks in hurriedly, wrapping her arms around Klaus, pulling his head into her shoulder for comfort and to hide his surprised expression

"He what?!" Rebekah cries out, running forward towards the house, disappearing inside. Elijah and Kol run after her and it is not long before loud sobs sound throughout the village.

"Why did you lie for me?" Klaus asks, pulling back to stare quizzically at Caroline

"I did not," she says, setting her jaw "as far as I am concerned Mikael killed your mother. His actions lead to her death"

"But I-"

"You tried to defends me" she says, grabbing his face in her hands "look at me Niklaus, you tried to save me. That is all you did. You tried to save me. No one needs to know the rest. You saved me and Mikael killed Esther. We must stick together as one, all of us. We need each other if we are going to survive Mikael"

Klaus nods slowly "I do not deserve you"

Caroline smiles "probably not, but you are stuck with me. _Forever._ "

Rebekah's sobs interrupt their moment and they can hear Elijah trying to convince her to leave "come Rebekah. Father is gone; our plan must remain the same. We will burn the house down, with mother inside and return to the old world". Klaus and Caroline flash into the house and watch the scene before them

"I will not burn my mother like waste! I want to bury her," she cries softly, still clutching her mother's hand

"She does not deserve a burial after what she has done to this family" Elijah spits angrily

"It is ok Elijah" Klaus speaks up "you and Kol go prepare our passage. Caroline and I can manage this."

Elijah and Kol nod, wooshing out of the house without any more words.

"I will not burn her with the house" Rebekah grits out

"Of course not" Klaus says gently "but we must move quickly if you wish to bury her, the village will wake soon"

Rebekah nods, wiping the tears from her eyes "okay, I'm going to go pick some flowers. I will be ready in a few moments" Klaus nods and she runs out of the house, clearly needing a minute alone.

"I am going to take her and dig a place behind the house, just slightly into the woods" he says quietly, lifting his mother into his arms and looking down at her with a mixture of sadness and anger "the fire is still going. Can you wait a few moments and then-"

"Of course" Caroline nods "be with your sister. I will take care of this. Is there anything you want from the house?"

Klaus pauses, clenching his jaw "no"

XXX

"I know you think she hated you Niklaus, but she did not" Caroline can hear Rebekah and Klaus as she leaves the house, watching the flames slowly start to take over the Mikaelson home. "She was just afraid. I am sorry she turned her back on you. I will never do that," she promises solemnly, still choking back tears

"Nor will I" Elijah says, materializing out of the woods

Caroline watches Klaus nod tightly as Rebekah buries her crying face into his shoulder. Klaus wraps a protective arm around his sister and sighs, "it will be alright little sister.  
Rebekah pulls back "as long as we are together it will be alright" she says "promise me we will be together _always_ "

Caroline steps into view then and Klaus' eyes connect with hers "forever" he promises

Rebekah steps back, wiping the final tears from her eyes. She sees Caroline and extends her hands, grabbing Caroline's in her right and Klaus' in her left. Caroline extends her remaining hand to Elijah who steps between her and Klaus.

Rebekah looks around the circle "we stick together as one, _always_ and _forever_ "

A moment of silence passes and Rebekah nods her head as she watches the flames on the Mikaelson home grow higher and higher "I am ready to go now"

"Kol is waiting with the ship" Elijah says and in a silent agreement the four of them move at a human speed towards the woods that will lead them to the water. To their future. Whatever that may be.

Cornwall, England (1031, AD)

The first time the original family- and they have all come to include Caroline in that categorization- returned to the old world they compelled themselves a vast estate in the English countryside and lived as nobility, fitting themselves easily and seamlessly into high society. They called themselves lords and ladies, they wore luxurious gowns of rich silk, and became the talk of the town.

Kol flitted his way through balls, romancing and bedding the most eligible ladies in the country- much to the chagrin of their fathers and future husbands.

Rebekah quickly developed a very expensive set of tastes and fell into a cycle of whirlwind romances with the countries most eligible bachelors only to have them disappoint her and fizzle out. She would inevitably spend hours crying to Caroline who would comfort her in the only language Rebekah spoke- expensive wines and trips to the market.

Elijah retreated into himself terribly; he made it his mission to be as human as possible, learning their manners and etiquette, insisting on behaving as a proper gentleman in all respects. At times he would lose control, kill a peasant and spend weeks holed up in his chambers working through the guilt of it. He did not kill for pleasure in the way that Kol- and at times Niklaus (without Caroline's knowledge) did, but he did kill.

Caroline mastered the art of control, Elijah was the one who wanted to behave as a human most, but Caroline was the one who could best pull it off. Her and Niklaus took up the mantle of pretending to be the Lord and Lady of the household when society members inquired.

"My parents and Niklaus' both passed shortly after our marriage. Rebekah, Elijah, and Kol will be with us until a suitable match can be found- so Kol will probably die within our protection" she would joke cheerily, seeming an open book as she explained the situation to nosy town gossipers over tea. A new family of nobles was a big deal for any area, and she was the only one who could be (almost) consistently trusted in the first decade or so not to let her urges overpower her.

Niklaus seemed to be a different person depending on the day. Some days he would wake up cheerfully, kiss Caroline good morning, ride his horse freely through the vast fields and laugh all the way through dinner. These were the days Caroline cherished, the days that she felt herself falling more and more in love with him. Other days, however he was overwhelmed with paranoia that Mikael would show up and start eliminating the family he loved so dearly. On these days that fear took over his good sense and he would lock himself in the library pouring over old texts- grimoire's mostly, that he had stolen from witches- looking for a way to kill Mikael, a way to make himself more powerful- to break the curse Esther placed on him, a way to protect his family.

Today was one of the bad days. He had spent dawn until dusk in the library, skipping all meals. Caroline was nearly asleep when he finally came to bed "there you are, I was beginning to worry"

Klaus tilted his head, appraising her "it is mine to worry about you, not the other way around. I can protect myself. And I will protect you."

"I have every faith in your ability to protect this family, I just wish you would not take the burden entirely on your own. We are all here, we are all capable of helping" she implores quietly

"You speak for yourself alone, my love. Rebekah is too busy with her latest dalliances, Elijah is helpful when he is stable, but his moods are unpredictable"- Caroline bites her tongue to hold from pointing out the irony in that statement "and Kol is worst of them all. He is reckless and does not cover himself at all, he will be the reason we are found"

"Even if Mikael could find us, he could not handle all five of us on his own-"

"You do not know him like I do, he will find a way"

Caroline nods slowly, knowing that when he is like this there is nothing that can be said to talk him down "come to bed, Nik, perhaps sleep will do you well in determining a solution to these problems"

He nods, moving closer to her. He runs a hand through her hair and kisses the top of her forehead gently "I love you, Caroline. More than anything in this world"

"I know" she says gently, pulling the covers aside so that he can join her.

The next morning is a good day. Caroline is woken by a gentle stream of kisses trailing playfully down her neck. She giggles softly "good morning to you as well, my love"

"I think I am going to take the day off," Klaus declares and Caroline smiles widely

"I think that is a wonderful idea"

"It is early still, I may go for a ride before breakfast, would you mind?"

"Not at all, go on, enjoy the sunrise"

"You could come with me," he suggests

"Or I could go back to sleep until it is light out like a regular human being" she smiles, not feeling tired in the least but knowing how much her husband benefits from his solitary rides. It is good for clearing his head.

He nods, kissing her again, longer this time "very well, but if I return and you are not still in this bed in that delectable state of undress I will be extremely upset with you"

"That sounds fair" she smiles, watching him call for a servant to bring his riding habit and dress him.

Caroline knows something is wrong when she hears the door open only 10 minuets later. Klaus is not forgetful and he does not change his mind. If he is back so soon there is something wrong. She slips into her dress robe quickly and flashes to the foyer, shocked by the sight in front of her.

Klaus is covered in dark, thick blood. It practically drips off of him, the legs of his pants look as though he fell to his knees in a pool of it, his hands look like he dipped them inside of a human- no, not a human. It doesn't smell right. She isn't getting cravings, she isn't distracted by the blood, her senses are sharp and focused on Klaus. Animal blood.

"What happened?" she asks with wide eyes

"Mikael" he mutters, brushing past her

"What? Mikael was here? Where is he? Did you fight?"

"No, he is gone. He came in the night. We do not have time to discuss this. We must leave"

"What do you mean leave?"

"I mean that it is no longer safe here. Collect your things, Carolne and tell Rebekah and Elijah to do the same. I will prepare our passage, we leave within the hour"

"What about Kol?"

Klaus pauses "He will not be coming with us" Caroline's eyes widen "it was Kol, he lead Mikael right to us with his antics. Word of a vicious animal ripping bodies apart has spread throughout the entire old world. He lead him right to us, he cannot be allowed to-"

"Klaus wait a minute, just wait. What are you saying? Where are you going?" she asks, following him as he bounds up the stairs and into his wardrobe, tearing the bloody clothes off of his body

"I will deal with Kol. I am sending him East, he will be fine. Mikael is not truly interested in him, but you cannot tell Rebekah of this plan until we are far enough away. Tell her he will take another carriage, promise me"

"I am not promising anything until you explain to me what is going on!"

"There is not time!" he shouts and Caroline steps backwards, he never yells at her. He yells often, and she is there often but it is always at his siblings, not her. Never her.

He seems to catch himself and pauses, straightening his now clean clothes he steps forward, brushing a strand of her hair back- leaving a bloody trail across her forehead as he does "I do not have time to explain it all, the quicker we move the less time he has to plan his next attack. Please let it suffice to say that this is the only way that I can protect everyone I love. It is the only way we all come out of this alive, Caroline. Do you trust me?"

Caroline nods automatically "yes, of course I do. I trust you"

"Okay, then say nothing for one hour. I love you"

Caroline nods "I love you"

And then Klaus is gone.

Italy (1104, AD)

The second time that the Mikaelson family settled in a place they did it in a slightly more inconspicuous manner. They did not exactly reside in huts, but they also did not hail themselves as nobility. The family- sans Kol, who was busy making many witchy friends in the East – set themselves up as successful wine merchants returning from a long journey in the new world, retreating to the Italian countryside for a much needed reprieve.

With only four of them, and none a rampaging murder- at first, at least- it was much easier to blend in. And so they did, for many years… until they no longer could.

XXX

"I do not like him" Klaus said one evening, seemingly out of the blue

"You do not like any man who attempts to court Rebekah" Caroline says with a teasing smile as she brushes out her hair to braid before bed

"This one especially" he grunts

Caroline looks up at him "promise me you will not hurt Alexander"

Klaus sighs "you know I would never make a promise to you that I cannot keep."

Caroline nods sadly, turning around to face away from him as she gets into bed, and he lets her. He knows how she feels about this side of him and he knows when to give her space.

Caroline's mind is reeling, the more comfortable Klaus becomes in this new place the more reckless he is. She sees him come home with blood in his clothes, hears the whispers around the village about people going missing. She has heard those telltale words that doomed them in the past: _animal attack_

Even more than that, this is not the man she married. The man she married was strong and brave but also kind and gentle. He did not hurt others; he certainly was not a murderer. She does not lay claim to a sainthood she does not possess, they have all let their urges get the best of them, but lately it seem that Klaus' urges overpower his sense on a daily basis.

Shiela's words flash through her mind over and over again, so vibrantly that it truly feels as though the witch is standing right beside her, whispering in her ear.

" _you chose a man with anger flowing through his veins and a dark destiny that you cannot even begin to imagine"_

As she lies awake that evening Caroline cannot seem to shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. Something big, that could change their family forever.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Five

"Oh Caroline, I have not been this happy in a century, not in all my years of life!" Rebekah gushes happily, practically floating through the cobblestone streets as they return home from the market.

Caroline smiles "I am glad that Alexander brings you such happiness sister, but do you not worry about his… mission?"

Rebekah sighs "It is not ideal I will admit, but it is not as though he will ever suspect us to be the creatures he hunts so long as we are able to walk in the day"

"Klaus tells me that you all saw him burn a vampire in broad daylight, that Alexander and his brothers warned the villagers of our existence"

Rebekah pauses her walking "please not you too, Caroline. I already have Nik and Elijah trying to get me away from Alexander, I do not think I could bear it if you were also trying to steal my happiness"

"I would never want to steal your happiness Rebekah," she says with a comforting smile "I just worry about the consequences of how close you have chosen to become with a man who hunts us"

"Well perhaps you should be having this conversation with Nik and Elijah since they are the ones who keep turning people for him to hunt!"

"You know I do not approve of those actions-"

"But you do not rebuke them! You try to control my behavior but not theirs?"

"I suppose I have always seen you as the only Mikaelson who may see sense" she says lightly and both girls start to laugh

"My dear sister, you know better than any of us that no man or woman can keep their sense about them in the face of love"

Caroline smiles a little "I suppose that is true." Her own love situation flashes before her eyes "If you love Alexander then I am on your side of course. I shall always be on your side"

Rebekah smiles and moves to pull her sister into a hug "I love you for the sentiment, but please do not make promises you cannot keep"

"What ever do you mean?"

"Nik and I disagree daily, I will not be surprised if a time comes when those disagreements grow and sides must be chosen. Should it come to that I know that you are with him, Caroline"

"I am his wife," she says, looking down "I will always stand by him as is my duty… but know that does not always mean that I agree with him"

"It is not your duty though. Perhaps that is true for humans, but not for us. You have a duty to no one. I… there are days that I would not blame you for leaving him"

Caroline smiles "I do have a duty to him, and he has a duty to me. Human or not we said our vows. I knew what I was choosing when I said those words. Perhaps not specifically, but I knew who Niklaus was and… being a vampire does not change a person entirely. So long as I can still see the man I gave my vows to within this new version of himself then I will love him"

Rebekah nods slowly "perhaps then… in the name of love... I can convince you to return home while I sneak off for a few hours?" she bats her eyelashes and Caroline nods indulgently.

In these moments of human vulnerability Rebekah reminds her so much of her natural sister that she cannot do anything but smile and indulge. She watches a blonde head disappear to meet a man of the old world, but all she sees in her mind are Elena's dark locks disappearing to steal some extra time with Stefan.

XXX

"Have you seen Rebekah?" Elijah asks when Caroline returns home.

"I have," she answers cryptically.

Elijah raises his eyebrows, waiting for Caroline to speak further and when she merely raises her eyebrow back in response he sighs "Niklaus will not approve"

"And who exactly is going to tell him?"

"I should hope that my dear wife would not be considering keeping secrets from me?" A new voice sounds from behind them

Caroline turns, a teasing reply on her lips that melts into a sigh at his appearance "your wife will not be speaking to you at all until you wash the blood out of your clothes"

Klaus smirks, dropping his overcoat to the floor and shedding his shirt so he stands in front of the two naked from the belt up "there, no more blood"

Caroline shakes her head; turning to Elijah "you know that I cannot deal with him when he is in this state" it was a truth that they had all accepted years ago. Caroline is in near perfect control of her bloodlust, so long as she stays away from her family when they are in phases of succumbing. Caroline will not allow herself to be corrupted.

"You will not want to run off tonight my love" Klaus grins "I ran into a friendly face in the village and just had to invite him over for dinner"

Caroline turns back "Klaus" she says quietly, appealing to a side of him that is not present at this moment but she knows is still in there, just beneath the surface "we talked about this. You promised"

"I am assessing the threat, love" he raises his hands in a gesture of surrender "nothing more"

"Rebekah is happy" she says, "Do not take that happiness away from her. I am unsure that she would forgive you"

"Rebekah will do as she is told"

"And what exactly will she be told?" this time it is Elijah who speaks

"Alexander clearly has a plan. I want to know what it is."

"And you would use your own sister?"

"I am protecting this family," Klaus snarls

Caroline shakes her head "I will not watch this. Niklaus you may feel free to return to our bed once you have regained your right mind"

"I will not be accused of lunacy for refusing to watch my sister lead to our downfall"

"You are paranoid"

"We shall see"

XXX

Rebekah comes to Caroline's room later that night in a pale white nightgown, tears pricking lightly in her eyes as she raises her hand to knock on the thick wooden door

"Caroline?"

The door opens slowly "Rebekah, what is wrong?"

"You know what is wrong Caroline. That is why you were not at dinner isn't it? You knew that Niklaus was planning to ambush Alexander with his inquisitions"

Caroline sighs "you know that I cannot stop Klaus when he believes he is protecting the family. No one can"

"You could have warned me" she glares

"I could not be around him any longer. I… I had to leave. I am sorry sister, I want to be strong enough to fight for you or Elijah or even Kol when Klaus gets into one of his obsessive moods, but even I cannot control myself enough to manage that"

"Why do you stay with him?" Rebekah asks quietly "it must be something beyond the duty of your vows. He does not deserve you Caroline. He does not deserve any of us when all he does is try to control our every move"

"I love him. He may make me crazy at times, but I will always love him. You know that. And you know why I stay. It is the same reason that you stay with him. Niklaus can be a nightmare. He can be aggressive and overprotective and controlling. He can be callous and he often says things that he does not mean, but… there is no one on this earth who loves as strongly as he does. He loves you, Rebekah. And he loves me. And we all promised to love each other always and forever. Nobody promised it would be easy"

"So you think that I should do it? Spy on Alexander."

"I cannot tell you that."

"You can at least tell me what you think"

"I think that I am very angry with my husband for asking you to do such a thing" she pauses "but… I also think that he would not have asked you to do this or made such a show of his _inquisition_ if he were not truly afraid"  
"Do you think that Alexander may have been sent by Mikael?"

"I do not know"

"Then I suppose that is enough"

Rebekah smiles sadly, pausing just before she reaches the door "I truly do not know what I would do without you, Caroline. I think I may be driven mad were I alone with my brothers for eternity"

Caroline smiles back at her sister, thoughts of Elena and Bonnie flooding her mind once again as she watches her walk away. She loves Rebekah, of course she does. She loves her new family as much as she loved her old one, but that does not heal the aching in her heart. It does not replace her sister or best friend. At times she even misses Damon's biting sarcasm and Stefan abandoning her to sneak off with Elena.

She is not stupid. She knows that they are long gone. That the simple laws of the human universe which she is no longer a part of, will have taken them by now. She wishes she could have been there for their final days. That she could have attended their funerals. She wishes that-

"Thank you" a deep voice interrupts her thoughts and she tenses slightly before relaxing at the sight of her husband's soft, genuine face.

"I know you, Niklaus. I may not agree with all of your actions, but I know that you are trying to protect us"

"And you know that I love you" he presses his lips to the top of her head and she smiles, her Klaus is back.

"I take it that the dinner went well?"

"I am unsure, but I am sure that Rebekah agreeing to _speak_ with Alexander means that the truth will come out soon enough. For now I do not believe that we have anything to fear from these 5" Caroline nods, still looking down "what is wrong, sweetheart?"

"I was just thinking about Elena and Bonnie"

Klaus nods "do you regret deciding to run away with me?"

Caroline looks up at him, reaching for his hand and holding it close "of course not, my love. I will never regret running away with you, but… I do wish that we had made it out that first night"

"Are you finding eternity too long a time to spend by my side?"

"I did not say that Nikalus. But you cannot tell me that you never long for the simplicity of our human days"

"I do not" he says quietly "I do not miss humanity for a single moment. I was weak back then. I like being strong… and so do you"

"You have always been strong, Niklaus"

"Not strong enough. Not strong enough to protect you all from Mikael" he pauses "I am still not strong enough for that. But I will be… some day, I will be whole and then Mikael will run from us."

"Is that why you spend so many hours in the library? You are trying to find a way to unleash your werewolf side again?"

"I am trying to break the curse that my mother put on me" he stops, sitting down next to her as he pulls her closer "I can feel the wolf trying to get out. Every full moon it pulls at me. The sun binds vampires, and werewolves are slaves to the moon. I feel the effects of both curses"

Caroline caresses his hand and hums gently "hmm, the curse of the sun and moon, it sounds awfully poetic for such a torturous thing".

"I suppose it does"

XXX

Caroline awakes with a deep, painful breath as she feels steel pierce her heart. Her eyes are wide as her hand gropes beside her for her husband, feeling a hard chest with the handle of another knife sticking out of it. She looks up and catches a pair of familiar eyes; she swears she has seen this man in the village with Alexander "why" she whispers on a sharp breath

"It is our mission," the man says, looking almost apologetic as he twists the knife harder, causing Caroline to nearly black out purely from the pain of the ash-soaked dagger ripping through her heart.

In an instant she can feel the bed shift next to her and then the hand pressing the knife into her is gone and the man is not whispering anymore – he is screaming.

Caroline is still in shock and gasping for breath when the knife is pulled from her chest and Klaus has lifted her into his arms "Caroline, Caroline love are you alright?"

She nods weakly and manages to choke out "Rebekah. Alexander. Go."

"I won't leave you, sweetheart"

Caroline takes a deep breath as she feels her chest slowly knitting itself back together "I am fine. Go help Rebekah, that man was one of Alexander's brothers"

This time Klaus' eyes widen and he lays her down "don't move Caroline. Do not strain yourself," he says and in an instant he is gone and she can hear another man screaming. Then there is silence. And then, moments later, sobbing.

Caroline breathes a sigh of relief as she hears Klaus and Rebekah screaming at each other. Because it means they are both alive. It means that Rebekah is alright. And in this instant, that is enough. The rest can be dealt with when she does not feel as though her chest has been ripped in half.

XXX

Rebekah's refusal to answer him only causes Klaus to become more and more furious with her as the moments go by. Every time she cries harder and denies that Alexander promised her anything. She is lying, he knows it. There has to be something, because he refuses to believe that even Rebekah is naive enough to endanger their family for a dalliance.

"What. Did. He. Promise. You" he grits out one final time, gripping her shoulders harder than before

"He said… he said that we would be married" she chokes the words out through tears and Klaus pulls back just a little. "He said… that we could be together, that we could have a family. Niklaus you know how much I want a family of my own"

"WE ARE YOUR FAMILY"

"Children Niklaus. I want children. I want to grow old and have a human life and Alexander… he told me he knew how I could"

"that is impossible" Klaus spits

Rebekah shakes her head "it isn't. It isn't impossible Niklaus that is what I am trying to tell you. Alexander, he… he said there is a cure"

Klaus' hands drop as he thinks about the implications of her words "a cure for what, exactly?"

"Vampirism"

His eyes go wide and Klaus can feel his hand reach back for the dagger that he pulled from Rebekah's chest and before his mind can even catch up with his body it is back inside of her and his sister's skin is turning grey before his eyes, because he cannot let her do this. He does not want to be cured. He does not want her to tell Caroline and Elijah, he does not want to give them all the opportunity to leave him. He refuses to let them all leave him and he refuses to be made weak.

So Niklaus does the only thing that he can think of in the moment. He lifts his sister into his arms and walks to the basement of their manor. He lays Rebekah on a table, mentally making a note to procure a coffin in which to store her until she can be re-awakened.

When he finds Elijah's body there is a jar of ashes sitting next to it, similar to the one he briefly saw fall out of the jacket of the man who attacked Caroline. He pockets the ash, making a mental note to research these items and why they can affect an original… but not him.

Klaus sighs heavily as he stares down at his brother. It takes him longer than he would care to admit to decide whether or not to remove the dagger from Elijah's heart, but in the end, he does.

Elijah's first words after his dramatic gasping back to life breath are "what… Niklaus… I… what"

"Easy Elijah. Easy, deep breaths brother. We were attacked because of our sister's reckless heart, but it is no matter now. Those who would seek to do us harm have been taken care of"

Elijah's eyes widen "and Rebekah? Where is our sister?"  
"As I said, those who would seek to do us harm have been taken care of" Klaus grits out angrily

"What did you do, Niklaus?"

"She is safe. She can no longer be of harm to herself or us"

"And how long do you plan to keep her… safe?"

Klaus shrugs "we can revisit the topic once we have resettled. I am having the manor packed up tomorrow. I hear that Spain is lovely this time of year" his voice is dry

"And too caught up in their own battles to notice a new family of wealth so long as we are cautious" Elijah skips the questions about whether Klaus believes Mikael to be behind this attack or if these people may come back, or how many more of them there might be… because none of it matters. Clearly his brother sees this as a threat, and so they will move on.

Klaus nods "the amount of bloodshed that the battles produce does not hurt either. In the morning you and Caroline will begin the journey. Leave everything; I will make arrangements for any possessions of import to be brought later. Find a place to settle" he pauses "let Caroline pick. She won't be happy with any of this, it is the least I can give her now"

Elijah nods "and where will you be?"

"Greece. It is time we retrieve Kol before he gets himself and all of us killed. A letter is too risky. I will bring him with me and with just a touch of self control his bloodshed will be lost in the casualties of battle"

"And if he cannot exercise that touch of self control?"

"Then our sister will not be lonely"

"You are right" Elijah shakes his head "Caroline is going to hate every part of this"

Klaus' face darkens "leave my wife to me"


End file.
